How active is Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent when you fly over it?
According to the video, Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent has been continuously active since 1983—that's over 21 years of uninterrupted volcanic activity as of the tour date.
At a glance
Length
33 min
Channel
Hoosier Tim's Travel Videos
Video from
Nov 2025
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Geology enthusiasts, volcano chasers, and Big Island visitors seeking an aerial view of active lava flows
What this video answers
How active is Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent when you fly over it?
What is the "Mother's Day flow" and why is it significant?
Can you see lava flowing into the ocean from the helicopter?
Is Chain of Craters Road still drivable all the way to the coast?
Why is the Big Island still growing if other Hawaiian islands aren't?
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What to Expect on This Big Island Helicopter Volcano Tour
This Blue Hawaii helicopter tour circles Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, departing at 10:00 a.m. on January 20th, 2004. The video documents the complete flight path, starting over agricultural areas like a 2,500-acre macadamia nut farm and apple banana plantations on the island's lush windward side. From there, the helicopter ascends over the state's only indigenous tropical rainforest, home to over 2,500 endemic plant species, before reaching the volcanic centerpiece: active lava flows from Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent and the dramatic volcanic landscape that continues to reshape the Big Island's coastline.
This tour suits adventurous travelers who want to witness real volcanic activity and geological transformation without hiking remote terrain. The flight showcases how the Big Island—the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain at just over a million years old and the same size as Connecticut—is still actively growing from volcanic eruptions. If you're fascinated by geology, Hawaiian culture and legends, or simply want an unforgettable aerial perspective of one of Earth's most dynamic landscapes, this experience delivers authentic views of living volcanic processes.
Key Moments
Highlights Along the Flight Route
Monolo macadamia nut farm (2,500 acres) with Norfolk pine windbreaks protecting the crop
Active Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent with visible red lava flows and massive steam and gas plumes (70% steam, 30% carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide)
The "Mother's Day flow" lava field (erupted May 2002), which created 875 new acres of coastline and buried the Royal Garden subdivision, destroying 181 homes
Chain of Craters Road and hikers exploring the lava field from vehicles parked alongside
Black lava beach created by hydromagmatic explosions where 2,000° lava met ocean water
Jack's Bed and Breakfast, an isolated red-roofed house accessible only by helicopter or motorcycle across the lava flow
Practical Details Before You Book
Departure time: 10:00 a.m. (early morning flights help avoid heat buildup in the aircraft)
The tour circles Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and covers vast lava fields, so expect a full-length scenic flight
Bring sunglasses and sunscreen—you'll be exposed to intense sun at altitude and reflected heat from black lava fields
The windward side of the island receives 133–144 inches of annual rainfall, so mornings are clearer; afternoons may have cloud cover
Book early—spots on helicopter tours in this area fill quickly due to limited daily departures and volcanic activity variability
Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes if planning to hike near the lava field after your flight
Common Questions About This Volcanic Flight
How active is Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent when you fly over it?
According to the video, Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent has been continuously active since 1983—that's over 21 years of uninterrupted volcanic activity as of the tour date. The flight passes directly over visible red lava flows and a massive smoke plume composed mainly of steam and volcanic gases, confirming real-time volcanic processes.
What is the "Mother's Day flow" and why is it significant?
The Mother's Day flow erupted from Pu'u 'Ō'ō on Mother's Day in May 2002, flowing downslope toward the ocean for approximately eight months (December 2002 to June 2003). It destroyed over 5,000 acres of tropical rainforest, buried 181 homes in the Royal Garden subdivision under lava, and created an entirely new black sand beach and expanded coastline—permanently altering the island's geography.
Can you see lava flowing into the ocean from the helicopter?
The video shows the recent coastline created where the Mother's Day flow entered the ocean. You can see a visible ledge that marks the original shoreline from 12 months prior, with all the lava-created terrain between that ledge and the current water's edge representing brand-new land. The black lava beach is also visible, formed by hydromagmatic explosions when superheated lava (2,000°) collided with cold ocean water.
Is Chain of Craters Road still drivable all the way to the coast?
No. According to the tour pilot, lava flows have covered an 8.5-mile section of the road, so Chain of Craters Road now ends where the lava field begins. Visitors park their vehicles and hike across the lava field to get closer views of active lava from Pu'u 'Ō'ō—a strategy you'll see demonstrated during the helicopter tour.
Why is the Big Island still growing if other Hawaiian islands aren't?
The Big Island is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain (just over a million years old) and is still volcanically active. Pu'u 'Ō'ō and Kīlauea Crater continue to erupt, adding new lava to the island's edges. The video notes that these active eruptions have already added 875 acres of new shoreline, and the island will continue to expand as long as volcanic activity persists.
This video is invaluable because it shows you exactly what a real volcanic helicopter tour delivers, complete with the pilot's expert geological and cultural context. Watching the actual lava flows, the buried Royal Garden subdivision, and the newly formed coastline makes the scale of Hawaii's ongoing creation visceral in a way photos cannot capture.
What I appreciated most was the pilot's blend of scientific explanation and Hawaiian cultural storytelling—particularly the extended chant about Pele, the fire goddess, which grounds the volcanic landscape in the islands' spiritual heritage. If you want to understand Hawaii's geological youth and witness active volcanism from the air, this is a genuine must-see experience, and I'd absolutely recommend booking a tour like this as soon as possible.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
My Blue Hawaii Helicopter tour on the Big Island of Hawaii. This flight took me over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on January 20, 2004.
Video transcript for “Big Island Helicopter Tour” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
Yeah. The one right behind
Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> And we have Blue Wine helicopter circle of fire flight 10:00 a.m. January 20th,
2004. On board we have Connie Selk, Janet, Martin, and Tim. [music] Anybody? [music] [singing] [music and singing]
And we got Tim back there. Where you from, Tim? Indianapolis. Welcome on board. [music] >> Hey folks, welcome on board. Glad you could join us today. My name is James. Folks can call me Kimo. Kimo is Hawaiian for James. I'll be your tour pilot for today. I'm from Honolulu on the island
of Oahu myself. >> Folks, ready? >> Here we go. [music] [singing] Heat
up here. Heat
up here. Alo
my folks that means welcome on board. Glad you could join us today. First thing on our tour today is this huge field coming up directly in front of us. That's the Monolo macadamia nut farm. The farm is 2500 acres in size. The macadamia nut tree was introduced to Hawaii back in 1882.
It came from Australia and in 1900 we started commercially growing these trees for the macadamia nuts. >> [music] >> These tall Norfolk pine trees surrounding the macadamia nut trees, they provide a windbreak against our strong trade winds. They keep the winds from blowing those macadamia nuts off
the trees. Have you folks tried these macadamia nuts yet? They're really good except they're 90 calories per nut. and building in a field off to the left front there. That's the Mount Aaloa macadamia nut factory. You can tour that factory. They're open till 5:00 p.m. each day.
>> Just out our right door here and off to the front. This is a banana plantation. These are apple bananas. They're much smaller than your larger chaquita bananas. They're really sweet and tasty and they're good for cooking, too. [music] [music] [singing] Somebody cries.
I [singing] love [music] you. I love you. >> As you can see, it's really nice and green here on this side of the island. [music] >> Any of you folks staying on a Kono or Walawa side of the island, folks are on that side of the island, they only get 3 to 10 in of annual rainfall. It's mostly
sunny and dry there. That's why all of our hotels, golf courses, and resorts are all located there. Here [music] on this side of the island, we get anywhere from 133 to 144 in of annual rainfall. [music] [singing] >> This rain keeps everything nice and green, and it's good for our diverse
agricultural economy. [music] >> Besides macadamia nuts and bananas, we also grow papayas, coffee, various types of tropical plants and flowers. [music] They also have quite a few independent farmers that grow exotic fruits and vegetables. Everything from avocados to zucchini. And you can purchase these items down at
the Hilo Farmers Market in downtown Hilo. [music] That small town you see just up ahead, that's the town of Paja. [music] [singing] Those large black and gray screens you see just outside the town. Those are just some of the tropical plant and flower farms that we have here on the island. Beneath those screens,
they grow antherums, orchids, bird paradise, white ginger, and iliconas. This huge green area flying over now. And up ahead here, this is called the Puna Forest Reserve. The state of Hawaii is the only state in the United States that has an indigenous tropical rainforest. This tropical rainforest below us has
over 2,500 different species of plants and flowers growing that are endemic to the state of Hawaii. [music and singing] >> The island of Hawaii is just a little over 255 million acres in size. 91 million acres of this island is made up of this tropical rainforest. Most [music] of it is state protected
forestry land. It's because uh this tropical rainforest is critical to our ecosystem here on the island. [music] Directly in front of us, you can see this aha lava flow cutting through this tropical rainforest. [music] This aha lava flow beneath us took place back in 1992. [music]
>> It came from Kaa crater which is just up ahead. This aha lava comes out of the ground of the crater at anywhere between 1,00 and 1,200°. On the outside air temperature cools and hardens this aha lava, you get that jagged rough surface. See down below [music] just up ahead is the pu o vent. This pu
vent has been active since 1983. In fact, January 3rd this month, it made 21 years of activity. The Pu Oven and Hal Ma Crater up in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This is the home of our Hawaiian legendary fire goddess, Madame Py.
Here's a Hawaiian chant to tell you all about the legend of P. I lie. Prolific words take. >> You can see a nice red lava flow coming out of this pu or she came from the island of Kuahani, an island set aside for our gods and our
goddesses. There she lived with her family. As a young girl, [music] she was the apprentice to the fire god, Lon Makua. One day during his absence, she accidentally destroyed a part of the island, enraging [music] the wrath of her sister Namok, who was a sea god. [music] And the sister swore she would seek revenge.
Fell fled from the island, taking with her her younger brother and sisters, setting sail for our Hawaiian islands. She visited each island, hoping to find a new home to build her fiery pit. But it seems wherever she would go, the ocean's water would come and completely cover the pit, [music] letting her know
her sister was closely behind in her seat. [music] It was on the island of Moi that they finally came face to face. In fact, a battle took place [music] on the slopes of Halakala, our famous mountain on Maui. Fella with her bones [music] being scattered throughout the four winds. The gods took
pity on her and granted her immortality to roam the earth in spirit form. For she resides to this very day at the pits of Halimmo on the big island. To some, she is feared. To others she is revered, but to many of us she is the creative mother of the universe.
For wherever she flows, she builds new worlds, cleansing [music] and purifying. crying as she goes. I am I am the woman of the pit. Make no about it. I am the ruler of this land
and I rule with a firm hand. I am perfect. [music] >> I am perfect. I am [music] >> I am [music] I am
I am [music] [music] I I now [music] [music]
[music] >> [music and singing] >> That huge smoke plume you see coming out of this pool of 70% of that is made up of steam. The other 30% is made up of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
This smoke trail you see along the surface here off to our right and also to the left there. These are the two active lava tubes where lava is flowing underground from the Pu O trying to make its way down towards the ocean. Again, [music and singing] [singing] >> this lava flows very efficiently inside
of these lava tubes. They're like a pipeline that keep that lava insulated at a constant 2,000°. This lava can flow up to 30 or 40 miles an hour while inside of these lava tubes. [music] >> This entire lava flow beneath us going out towards the ocean. This is called the Mother's Day flow. That's because
this lava came out of that pu event on Mother's Day back in May of 2002. [music and singing] [music] >> [singing] [music] >> As it made its way down towards the ocean, this Mother's Day flow created a brush fire out here to the right that destroyed just a little over 5,000 acres
of lush tropical rainforest up here at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
It went out and entered the ocean and it was flowing into the ocean for just about 8 months. from December of 2002 till June of 2003. [music] And in that few months, >> it expanded the size of this coastline. [music and singing]
[music] As we cross the shoreline here, if you look off to the right side of the aircraft, you can see this little ledge or cliff that's paralleling the coastline. >> That ledge or cliff was the original coastline 12 months ago. [music and singing]
All that love on the ocean side of that ledge all the way down this coastline. It's all brand new shoreline that was created by this Mother's Day flow. [music] [singing] And just up ahead here, you can see this road coming down the coastline. This is Chain of Craters Road. This road comes down from Kiloya.
They're up at Hawaii Volcano's National Park. You can drive down to this road. Those cars you see parked alongside the road, those are parked visitors. They come here to hike across this lava field. See if they can get a close-up view of any lava that's coming down from the puin.
[music] [singing] >> All those caves you see at the base of the cliffs, those are the lava tubes that come up from beneath this huge lava field. [music and singing] [music] [singing] >> [music] >> This chain of craters road used to go
all the way down the coastline, but all these lava flows came down here. Covered over an 8 and 1/2 mile section of this road. So, this is where the road ends today. [music] >> Just up ahead, you can see a nice black lava beach along this coastline. That black lava beach was also created by
this Mother's Day flow. [music] [singing] When that hot 2,000° lava came down here and hit this cold ocean water, caused that lava to explode. It's called the hydroagmatic explosion. Broke that lava up into a million tiny pieces, creating that black lava beach. [music] [singing] [music]
[music] >> [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> That green area you see directly in front of us coming down the side of that pool. That's what's left of the [music] Royal Garden subdivision.
That subdivision used to cover the entire top of this pool. And it used to extend all the way out to the coastline >> when all these lava flows came down through here between 1986 through 1992, covered over this Royal Garden subdivision, destroying 181 homes and burying over 2,000 property lots beneath
all this lava. [music] >> [singing] >> Coming off to our left front, you're going to see a house with a red roof sitting on a hillside. >> That's [music] Jack's bed and breakfast. >> You can rent that place, spend the night there. The only problem is the only way to get there. It's on the back of Jack's
motorcycle or this helicopter. We drop passengers off on that road just in front of Jack's house. next morning, come back out, pick them up, take them back to Hilo. All these other homes that you see in a royal garden subdivision, they're all abandoned today.
This lava flow you see directly off to our left front coming down the other side of Royal Garden subdivision. This is that lava flow Jack has to ride his motorcycle across to get to his house. There's no road going across that lava flow, too. [music] >> The island of Hawaii is the largest
island in the entire Hawaiian island chain. >> It's also the youngest island, just a little over a million years old. And if you took all the other seven Hawaiian islands and you brought them all together, it still wouldn't match the size of the island of Havi. Havaii is the same size as the [music]
state of Connecticut. Covers 4,38 square miles. The only difference is the island of Havi still growing in size with the eruptions of Au Oven up ahead and Koopa in a craters. It has already added 875 acres to the shoreline behind us. [music and singing] >> And up ahead is a pool over. We're going
to take one last look at this lava flow that we saw earlier. This is a pretty good size lava flow. [music] >> It's coming out of this pool oone. >> Notice on the side of that pool or vent, there's a crack. That's how that lava broke out from inside the pool os.
[music] [singing] [music] See us through to forever as high [music] as stor.
[singing] [music] [music] This entire area here is not only
susceptible to volcanic activity but also seismic activity. [music] Up at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Observatory, they register over 60,000 earthquakes a year out in this area alone. >> [music] >> Most of these earthquakes, though, they're too small to be felt on the surface.
[music] >> Last major earthquake we had here on the island was back in 1974, and that was a 7.2 on the RTOR scale. That earthquake caused quite a few buildings in downtown Hilo to shake. We shattered all the windows and the aftershocks could be felt as far away as Honolulu, which is
over 200 miles from here. [music] >> We have a unique law here in the state of Hawaii. Say you own a green piece of property down below or uh home lava comes out of that crater, comes down here and covers over your property and your home. [music] Well, if that happens, you just now lost your home and
your property. And that's because the state claims ownership to all lava coming out of the ground of the crater. [music] [singing] >> So all those homes and property lots that were covered over in the Royal Garden subdivision. >> All that lava you saw back there, that's all state land today.
None of the homeowners or land owners were ever compensated for the loss of their land or homes due to the lava. >> [singing] [music] >> This is why you can get land really treat cheap here on this side of the island. >> Can't get it [music] insured against lava or earthquakes though,
>> but you can get a 1 acre size lot of land down below [music] >> for under $10,000. The >> island of Hawaii is uh made up of five separate volcanoes. The smallest and most active of these volcanoes is Kilawa Caldera up at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It's only 4,74 ft above sea level and
the crater rim itself is about 11 milesi in circumference being the most active volcano in the entire Pacific region. Kiloa is still growing in size. Off [music] to the left in those clouds there is Mount Aloa, the second highest volcano in the state of Hawaii. It's 13,677 ft above sea level.
Monoloa means long mountain because it's over 80 mi long and just about 30 m wide. >> Monoloa is also an active volcano. >> Back in 1984 at the 9,500 ft level, a cinder cone erupted. Lava poured out of that cinder cone flowed down the slopes of Mount Aloa. In fact, if you look off to the left front
there, you can see that gray lava flow coming through that green tropical rainforest. That's that 1984 lava flow. It stopped short 4 and a half miles from those homes directly in front of us. [music and singing] >> And that lava continued pouring out of that cinder cone. That lava flow there
was headed for downtown. [music] >> And the clouds off to our left front is Mount Aaya. That's the highest volcano in the state of Hawaii at 13,796 ft above sea level. >> [music] [singing] >> Mount Aaya means white mountain. That's because two months out of the year, the summit of that volcano is covered in
snow. And there's a little bit of snow up there today. [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> Mount K is also considered to be the highest mountain in the world. fish from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean where it actually starts. Mon is just a little over 31,000 ft. >> Off to the left here are three
waterfalls. These three waterfalls are called Havi Falls. [music] >> They're coming off three separate streams that come together right here and form this Wuku River. This river flows along the outskirts of Hilo, empties into Hilo Bay.
Heat. Heat. Small to [music and singing] say the least for
a little girl. [music] Be the [singing] ones we beauty and love as the sun [music] will rise. Oh. [singing] [music] [music]
>> just upstream of these uh waterfalls off to the left. You can see some nice pools along the stream with smaller waterfalls flowing into them. These pools would make some really nice swimming holes. [music] >> [singing] >> All that song [music]
is sweet and sweet. Finally you get changed learning you [music] were wrong. [singing] Certain [music] sun. [singing] >> Rising [music] in peace till
long [music and singing] as all beauty [music] >> strong [music] and gold. beauty [singing] and [music] [music]
[music] just off our left, you'll see a stream coming out of that tropical rainforest. There's two smaller waterfalls along that stream. >> [music] [music]
[music] >> Uh just up ahead is the airport. We'll be landing here shortly. Like to thank you folks for flying with us today. I hope you enjoyed your tour. It was my pleasure. Kim on kicking you out on your flight this morning. [music] Folks, enjoy the rest of your vacation here on
the island of Hawaii and definitely have a safe journey when it comes time to head back home. [music] [singing] >> When you do get back home though, if you could do me a favor, if you could recommend Blue Wine Helicopters to your friends and family, I'd appreciate it. And if your travels or their travels
>> ever take you over to the island of Maui through Hawaiian helicopters has some really great tours >> out of Kalo airport on the island of Maui. [music] We >> also have a blue wine helicopter base in Walo on the west side of this island. They've got a kohala coast adventure tour takes you into the remote white
field. >> [music] >> It's a long road. When you face the [music] world alone, no one reaches out ahead for you. [singing] [music] You can find love. [singing]
Second, no, Honinoi and Moano valleys are some really spectacular waterfalls that are over 2,000 ft in height. [music] Going to be talking to the tower here, getting us a landing clearance. Be back with you once we're on the ground. Again, mahalo for flying blue ho helicopters today and ho ho until we
meet again. Aloha mayo [music] mayo. We hope that you have enjoyed your flight. Soon we will be landing. Please check around your seats [music] for any loose articles. We find camera cases,
film, and sunglasses on the aircraft all [music] the time. Do keep your seat belts fastened until we land. If you are getting [music] a videape, remember to rewind the tape when you get home. Everything that the pilot says [music] is on the tape. The music is on the tape and you are on the tape. People send the
tapes back frequently without rewinding them. When we land, [music] your host or hostess will assist you when you exit the aircraft. If you have any loose articles, hang on to them. [music] And if they blow to the rear of this or any other helicopter, please leave them alone and we will get [music] them for
you. Do not go towards the rear of this aircraft. Please [music] take a moment to sign our guest book. This is the only way that the pilots know what you think of your trip. We hope you have enjoyed your flight. Please sign our guest book in the [music] office and let us know what you think of your flight and your
pilot. Now go get sunburned and have some [music] mai. Mahalo nui for choosing Blue Hawaiian helicopters. >> Okay folks, thanks for flying with us today. Watch your step getting out of the aircraft.
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