An
amphibious helicopter is a
helicopter that is intended to land in and take off from both land and water. Amphibious helicopters are used for a variety of specialized purposes including
air-sea rescue,
marine salvage and
oceanography, in addition to other tasks that can be accomplished with any non-amphibious helicopter. An amphibious helicopter can be designed with a waterproof or water-resistant
hull like a
flying boat or it can be fitted with utility
floats in the same manner as a
floatplane.