April 20th, 2007
Helicopter Tours of Kauai…the Photos Speak for Themselves!
Waipo’o Falls
Na Pali Coast
Most of the helicopter tour companies on Kauai fly the same basic one hour island tour. They take off from the Lihue heliport and fly counter-clockwise around the island, staying inland across southern Kauai and passing over the Hanapepe Valley where you’ll get to see Manawaiopuna Falls (Jurassic Park Falls) and flying through the Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
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Manawaiopuna Falls (Jurassic Park Falls)
From Waimea Canyon you fly out to the Na Pali Coast where you’ll see the most famous sea cliffs in the world. From Na Pali, the tour flies along the North Shore to Hanalei Bay where the tour moves inland along the Hanalei Valley to the crater of Mt. Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth.
Hanalei Bay
From Mt. Waialeale the tour proceeds east over the Wailua River Valley to Wailua Falls and then back to the heliport. The hour passes much too quickly.
Kahili Falls
General Tips
- Bring just your camera (with neck strap) and a light jacket (if it’s a cool day). You won’t be able to bring backpacks, camera bags or anything else onto the helicopter due to safety and weight requirements.
- Wear comfortable and fairly loose clothing so that you’ll be comfortable and can easily turn left and right while strapped in your seat. Wear dark colored clothes. Light colors cause reflections in the windows.
- Arrive early for your flight. You’ll need to check-in, get weighed (yep, they weigh you), and receive your safety briefing. Ask any questions that you have and let them know of any special requests.
- Relax and enjoy the experience. There is no reason to be tense or worry.
- If the weather is poor see if you can reschedule your trip for a better day. If conditions are really poor, they won’t fly anyway.
- Bring money to tip your pilot. He’s no different that any driver on a tour. He deserves to receive a gratuity.
Na Pali Coast
Photography Tips
- Arrive early and ask if you can get a seat next to the window. There are no guarantees that they can accommodate you since they need to balance the load, but if possible, they will. Usually the two rear window seats are excellent for photography.
- Use a camera with a circular polarizer filter. This will eliminate much of the reflections from the window. A rubber lens hood allows you to place the lens right up against the window.
- If you’re seated in the rear, try to shoot directly out of the back window to your side. Shooting out the front windows guarantees that you’ll get glare or reflections in your photos.
- Take many photos. Many will not turn out due to glare, movement or other unexpected reasons.
- Use as short a lens as possible. It will be hard to maneuver a long lens between you and the window to your side, Remember, you are strapped in and your ability to move is limited. My 28-80mm zoom lens was a bit too long. Get your lens as close to the window as possible.
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