The captain reached harbor with serious wounds after the private snorkel tour turned violent, police say.
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — Passengers aboard a private snorkel tour helped restrain a Kansas visitor after police say he stabbed the boat’s captain with a fillet knife off the Kona coast on April 16.
The intervention helped end an attack that left 62-year-old captain Stan Lurbiecki with a stab wound to the lower abdomen and multiple cuts to his head and hands, police said. The suspect, Avery Nissen, 21, of Overland Park, Kansas, was arrested after the boat returned to Honokōhau Harbor and later charged with second-degree attempted murder and two assault counts.
The people on board had expected a private family snorkel trip, not a medical emergency and police investigation. The vessel carried Lurbiecki, a crew member, Nissen, Nissen’s mother and Nissen’s sibling. The tour left from Honokōhau Harbor and spent part of the three-hour outing off the Kona coast. Lurbiecki later said Nissen did not remain in the water with his relatives during the snorkel portion. Once everyone was back aboard, the boat started toward the harbor. The attack came during that return leg, when the captain said the vessel was still about 30 minutes away from shore.
Police said Nissen attacked the captain with a fillet knife and that other passengers on the vessel intervened and restrained him. Lurbiecki has said the knife came from the boat’s galley. He said he was stabbed without warning and fought to get control of the blade. “I wrestled the knife out of him and he continued to frantically stab away at me,” Lurbiecki said. His account places Nissen’s mother near the struggle, trying to help. It also places Nissen’s sibling in a later life-saving role, applying pressure to wounds while the boat continued toward the harbor.
The captain’s account of what came next shows how many tasks fell to a small group in a confined space. Lurbiecki said Nissen jumped into the ocean after the struggle. The injured captain said he used a towel to press on a wound, then turned the boat back to recover the man accused of attacking him. Nissen was brought back aboard and sat with his mother for the rest of the trip, Lurbiecki said. Meanwhile, Nissen’s sibling helped control the bleeding. The captain said that assistance kept him alive long enough to reach Honokōhau Harbor, where police and paramedics were waiting.
Officers were dispatched at 3:21 p.m. to the harbor. Police said the vessel returned with both the victim and suspect on board. Lurbiecki was transported to Kona Community Hospital, where police said he was in stable condition. He later said he received several blood transfusions and had lost a large amount of blood. Police did not announce injuries to other passengers or the crew member. They also did not release a motive. Their first public statement described the attack as a stabbing incident at sea and listed Detective Bradley Llanes of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section as the investigator.
The intervention by people aboard the boat is likely to be important as the case moves through court. Their statements may help establish where each person was, when the knife appeared, how long the struggle lasted and how Nissen was restrained or returned to the vessel. Later reports on court documents said witnesses described Nissen as anxious before the attack and said he had been pacing and opening cabinets. Lurbiecki said Nissen had remained on the boat while his mother and sibling snorkeled. Those details may help investigators build a timeline, but authorities have not said they know why the stabbing happened.
The tour took place in one of Hawaiʻi Island’s busiest ocean recreation areas. Honokōhau Harbor serves commercial tours, fishing charters and private vessels along the Kona coast. A snorkel charter often depends on a small crew moving guests between the dock, the reef and open water. In this case, that small group had to manage a violent episode without the immediate presence of police or medics. The boat itself became the emergency room, the crime scene and the transport back to land. Lurbiecki’s ability to keep control of the vessel while injured became part of the public story almost as soon as he spoke about the attack.
Prosecutors charged Nissen on April 17 after police consulted the Hawaiʻi County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. Bail was set at $1.57 million. Nissen later appeared in court, where defense lawyers asked for proceedings to be suspended for a mental health evaluation. Prosecutors did not oppose that request. The case later moved forward with a not guilty plea, a July 13 pretrial conference and an Aug. 25 trial date. Court records cited in later coverage show the charges remain second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault. No public report has said an attorney for Nissen has made a detailed statement on the evidence.
Lurbiecki has said he worked as a boat captain for 35 years and never experienced anything similar. His comments have mixed shock with gratitude toward the people who helped him during the return to harbor. “This is like the most random, wildest, craziest thing you’ll ever hear of,” he said. The quote captured the surprise surrounding the case, but the legal process is now focused on evidence: the weapon, the wounds, the witness accounts, the captain’s medical treatment and the suspect’s mental health evaluation. Police continue to treat the motive as unknown.
The case stands with Nissen charged and awaiting pretrial proceedings. The passengers who restrained him and helped Lurbiecki may be among the most important witnesses when the case reaches its next court date.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.