The Federal Aviation Administration has denied Trident Adventures' petition to keep running its signature helocast tours off Oahu, in which passengers unbuckle their seat belts and jump from a hovering helicopter directly into the ocean. Federal regulators concluded the practice put customers at risk from turbulence, windblast, or human error, closing off a business model the company had built its brand around for years.
The decision, first reported by Hawaii News Now, centers on Trident's request for relief from federal rules requiring passengers to remain belted into approved restraint systems throughout a flight. Under Docket No. FAA-2025-5799, the company sought an exemption from 14 CFR §§ 91.108(b)(1) and 91.108(b)(2), the regulations that mandate seatbelts and supplemental restraints on civil aircraft, according to a filing in the Federal Register. The FAA specifically objected to allowing passengers to undo their seat belts while a helicopter hovers 10 to 35 feet above the water, per the station's report.
Trident Adventures operates Oahu helocast tours in which passengers jump from an aircraft into the ocean, a model adapted from military helicopter water-insertion tactics. The company was founded by retired U.S. Navy SEAL veterans, including Steve Kaplan, who translated the special-operations technique known as helocasting into a commercial civilian offering, according to Scuba Diving Magazine.
Company Points to Its Track Record
In its petition, Trident argued its history, training programs, procedures, and what it called conservative performance provide safety equal to or greater than FAA requirements, per the company's own letter. The company said it had completed more than 3,400 helocast plunges without problems since 2019, and it offered to switch to a twin-engine helicopter to guard against engine failure.
D.J. Acosta Melendez, who took two Trident Adventures tours, said staff thoroughly explained proper protocol on both trips, according to the same account. Peter Forman said Trident has a good track record and argued the company should appeal the FAA's decision and directly address the agency's specific concerns rather than walking away. Forman also said the FAA should remain focused on safety and not be distracted by political influence.
U.S. Rep. Ed Case had written to the FAA opposing Trident's petition. In a statement Tuesday, Case said granting an exemption from passenger restraint requirements would place public safety at risk, adding that air travel safety rules must apply regardless of flight altitude or aircraft stability, according to his office.
State Fine Over North Shore Water Drops
The FAA's decision follows a separate state enforcement action against Trident. The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources fined the company $10,000 in February for unauthorized commercial water drops conducted on June 9 and June 19, 2025, inside the Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District, an area that includes Shark's Cove, Three Tables, and Waimea Bay, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
State conservation officers documented a Trident-branded helicopter hovering as low as 10 feet above Shark's Cove during the June 9 jump, creating strong rotor downwash and wave turbulence that visibly affected nearby ocean users, per the department's findings, also reported by Divernet. Trident's Commercial Use Permit from the Hawaii Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation restricts its ocean operations to Oahu's south and west shores and explicitly prohibits commercial activity along the North Shore, the state agency said.
North Shore community group Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea submitted formal testimony to state officials in February opposing Trident's operations, arguing that low-altitude helicopter jumps near swimmers and dolphin pods created severe safety hazards and disrupted marine conservation efforts, according to documents filed with the state.
Broader Scrutiny of North Shore Air Tours
The FAA's ruling adds to a run of scrutiny over commercial helicopter activity on Oahu's North Shore. In April, a sightseeing helicopter made a precautionary landing at a Pupukea elementary school, an incident Hoodline previously reported reflected mounting public safety concerns about tour aircraft across the islands.
Trident Adventures, which operates as a PADI Five Star Instructor Development Center and offers a Helicopter Cast Master training program approved for Veterans Affairs GI Bill educational benefits, had charged customers between $1,299 and nearly $2,000 for the specialized helicopter dive tours, according to Divernet. The company had no representative available for an interview Monday. It remains unclear whether Trident will appeal the FAA's decision or restructure its Oahu offerings around boat-based diving and FAA-compliant air tours confined to its permitted waters.
