Diamond Head helicopter tour guide
Make sure Diamond Head is involved on your next helicopter tour as its one attraction not to be missed, but never will this crater be the primary focus of the tour.
Up to fifteen helicopter tours on Oahu will include a bypass of Diamond Head only, served by five tour operators. What with there being no exclusive Oahu's Diamond Head helicopter tour; passengers will be treated to a pass by where you view the summit, busy with hikers along with activity inside the crater.
Located on the southernmost-point of Oahu, Diamond Head is set to be one of the most viewed attractions on the island, as seen from a helicopter.
If you participate in a Oahu helicopter tour at any point during your stay, its possible the cone-shaped crater can be seen up close or from a far.
Fifteen helicopter tours I have for you, to which not all of them focus on Diamond Head.
What you will get is a direct pass by from 1,500 feet or so, or a half-circle on the south to east side of the Diamond Head Crater.
Helicopter tours that involve the crater are actually cheap Oahu helicopter tours, along with a generous flight duration.
To which only three minutes or so will be spent visiting Diamond Head while the rest of the time will bring you within range of Oahu's other popular attractions.
Guest policy varies from one operator to the next, but know there's always a minimum age and weight restriction which you'll have to take into consideration when booking.
Price list
| Operator: | Tour Name: | Depart: | Min: | Price: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novictor Helicopters | City by the Sea | Honolulu | 20 | $180 |
| Paradise Helicopters | Diamond Head Scenic | Kapolei | 30 | $199 |
| Mauna Loa Helicopters | Oahu Magnum P.I. Experience | Honolulu | 50 | $200 |
| Novictor Helicopters | Path to Pali Passage | Honolulu | 30 | $215 |
| Novictor Helicopters | Isle Sights Unseen | Honolulu | 45 | $265 |
| Novictor Helicopters | Waikiki Sunset | Honolulu | 20 | $269 |
| Magnum Helicopters | Doors Off Adventure Tour | Honolulu | 50 | $269 |
| Blue Hawaiian Helicopters | Blue Skies of Oahu | Honolulu | 50 | $284 |
| Novictor Helicopters | Royal Crown of Oahu | Honolulu | 60 | $315 |
| Mauna Loa Helicopters | The Oahu Experience | Honolulu | 60 | $320 |
| Blue Hawaiian Helicopters | Complete Island Oahu | Honolulu | 65 | $345 |
| Paradise Helicopters | Magnum Experience | Turtle Bay | 60 | $359 |
| Paradise Helicopters | Oahu Circle Island Experience | Kapolei | 75 | $419 |
| Paradise Helicopters | Oahu Sunset Experience | Kapolei | 75 | $459 |
| Blue Hawaiian Helicopters | Oahu Spectacular | Ko Olina | 65 | $465 |
What I have for you to make Oahu's Diamond Head a focus of your next helicopter tour on the island, is fifteen Oahu helicopter tour options.
It must be said what with Diamond Head being merely one of many attractions to see on the tour, the encounter should last no longer than three minutes or so.
Quick as it will come, Diamond Head soon fade away as you begin a tour that brings you within range of other, interesting landmarks.
Immediately after lift off via Honolulu, passengers will see Diamond Head on the horizon as you pass the Honolulu skyline along with the famous nearby Waikiki Beach.
Its a counter-clockwise flight route so the tuff cone-shaped Diamond Head will only be viewed on the left side of the chopper.
Bare that in mind when booking a flight as to make sure you get the best seat in the helicopter.
You won't be limited too one or two Hawaii helicopter tour companies; instead you can find the right package, within budget - from up to five Oahu operators.
Best helicopter tours
The best Diamond Head Crater helicopter tour should be a primary focus of any tour, but its not to be.
Instead, you will need to pick a tour that has Diamond Head en-route but no tour can offer better views than the other.
With that in mind, allow me to pick out a handful of helicopter tours that has Diamond Head on the flight itinerary, but a helicopter tour that is made up with additional add-ons.
Allow me to point you in the direction of Magnum Helicopters Doors Off Adventure Tour as being one of the best helicopter tours on Oahu in a Hughes 500.
What that means for your is unparalleled views of Oahu - and of course Diamond Head - with no doors standing in your way - its a 50 minute tour costing $269.00.
Now its not to say just because Paradise Helicopters' Diamond Head Scenic tour is in the title, it should indeed be a Diamond Head tour only.
Its not but its one that will guarantee amazing views of the crater from an aerial view.
Not a Oahu doors off helicopter tour by default but you'll be given the option to upgrade to a doors off package in their Hughes 500.
Diamond Head NOT the focus
I must emphasis Diamond Head will not be the primary focus of any helicopter tour in Oahu; its simply a point of interest among many other attractions to see.
After lifting off via Honolulu or a farther along departure point; passengers will view as much as Diamond Head as they would the Honolulu skyline, Waikiki Beach, the North Shore or Pearl Harbor.
However, there is an advantage to Diamond Head over other attractions on Oahu.
Its that Diamond Head can be seen from miles away as you approach it soon after departure, but in the meantime passengers will be distracted looking over to Honolulu.
If you're sitting on the left side co-pilot seat, you'll be treated to better views of the crater with front facing views.
That is not true for those sitting in the rear as Diamond Head will only be seen over to the left side once you've arrived at the destination.
So if its not a focused helicopter tour of this popular attraction, how might the flight route be and will it be worth your time and money?
Brief bypass only
Well its essentially a Oahu helicopter tour bypass; meaning guests will only see the crater briefly as you pass by overhead.
The route can look and feel very different from one tour to the next, but it is a bypass only with no hovering or circling expected.
It can be a busy airspace around Lēʻahi during the day with other helicopter tours lining up to pass by, so don't expect a special detour by the pilot.
On top of that, noise from a hovering helicopter can be a nuisance to visitors or locals; so hanging around too long would be against procedures.
So as you approach Diamond Head from the west - along the coastline - guests will be guaranteed to see the south-side of the crater at all times.
If its an extended tour that heads north, then you'll see very little else of the crater.
What is extraordinary is if paying for a shorter, less expensive tour that will often require a circle around Diamond Head to head back to Honolulu, you might actually see more.
In the time you approach Diamond Head along with a half-circle or complete pass by only, expect the experience to last no more than two to three minutes.
How is Diamond Head seen
To be guaranteed the best seat in the chopper, guests will need to upgrade to a co-pilot seat, or at least a left side window seat in the rear.
Oahu helicopter tours follow a counter-clockwise direction, which would mean Diamond Head can only be seen on the left side as you pass by.
Middle seat passengers won't miss much but if sitting on the opposite side; it must be said you're set to miss out.
On a side note, if sitting on the right side, you'll also see more of the ocean than the Oahu landscape - so do consider upgrading to a window seat on the left side.
How much you see of Diamond Head will depend largely on your seating arrangement.
But what you will see is the crater's summit, along with hikers who make daily visits to Diamond Head for this purpose.
What else you'll - but from a far - is the activity that is inside the crater, filled with tourists.
You'll see beautiful green landscape, winding roads, and a structure that is the Diamond Head Monument.
Summary
If it has Diamond Head in the helicopter tour name, that is not to say the crater is the primary focus of the tour.
In fact, all fifteen Oahu helicopter tours that include Diamond Head on the flight route only pass the cone-shaped crater, while avoiding a long stay.
Reasoning behind this is helicopters can be noisy, so for the sake of people on the ground - plus the locals - the chopper simply passes by this popular destination.
However, what you miss out on a long stay around Diamond Head can be made up through the use of add-on services.
But first consider booking up with Magnum Helicopters unique Doors Off Adventure Tour to avoid doors off upgrade costs.
Mauna Loa include a doors off flight while Novictor offer open doors at cost.
Paradise Helicopters also offer a doors off tour but guests will be required to pay for an upgrade - and while you're at it make sure its window/door side seat.
Prices vary but the longer the tour, expect an increase in costs. While only a brief 2 to 3 minutes will be used to view Diamond Head, the remaining flight duration can bring you to all major attractions on Oahu.
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