The captain, suspect and witnesses all came back aboard the same vessel after the attack.
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — A private snorkel boat was nearing Honokōhau Harbor when police say a Kansas visitor armed with a fillet knife attacked the captain, turning a routine return into an attempted murder case.
The April 16 stabbing left captain Stan Lurbiecki, 62, seriously wounded but able to bring the vessel back to harbor. Police arrested Avery Nissen, 21, of Overland Park, Kansas, after the boat arrived with the suspect, victim, crew and passengers still aboard. Nissen later pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.
The return trip is the core of the case. The snorkel stop was over, the passengers were back aboard and the boat was about 30 minutes from Honokōhau Harbor, according to Lurbiecki’s account. Nissen had been on the private tour with his mother and sibling. Lurbiecki said Nissen stayed aboard while the others went into the water. After the group headed back to shore, Lurbiecki said Nissen took a 10-inch fillet knife from the galley and stabbed him without warning. The attack was not reported on a beach or dock, where help would have been close. It happened while the boat was still offshore and still moving toward land.
The captain had to survive the assault and keep the boat functioning. He said he fought Nissen for control of the knife as the attack continued. Nissen’s mother tried to intervene, he said. Police later said passengers on the vessel restrained Nissen. Lurbiecki suffered a lower abdominal stab wound and many cuts to his head and hands, according to police. The injuries suggest the captain used his hands and body during the struggle. “I wrestled the knife out of him and he continued to frantically stab away at me,” Lurbiecki said. The knife, the galley and the upper-deck movements described in later reports are now part of the evidence trail.
The scene became more complicated when Nissen went into the water. Lurbiecki said Nissen jumped off the side of the vessel after the knife struggle. Even with his own injuries, the captain said he turned the boat back and recovered the man accused of stabbing him. Nissen climbed back aboard and sat with his mother for the rest of the ride, Lurbiecki said. The suspect’s sibling then helped press on Lurbiecki’s wounds. The captain later said that pressure stopped him from bleeding out before the vessel reached harbor. The sequence left police with an unusual set of facts: an alleged attacker rescued from the sea by the wounded captain, then returned to shore on the same boat.
Kona patrol officers were called to Honokōhau Harbor at 3:21 p.m. Police said the vessel was returning from sea with the victim and suspect aboard. Medics met Lurbiecki at the harbor and took him to Kona Community Hospital. Police said he was in stable condition. Lurbiecki later said doctors gave him several blood transfusions. No motive was announced. Police said only that the attack happened during a three-hour snorkel tour and that other people aboard intervened. Investigators assigned the case to Detective Bradley Llanes and the Area II Criminal Investigation Section, a unit that handles major cases on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island.
The harbor matters because it marked the handoff from emergency response to criminal investigation. Until the boat reached Honokōhau, the people aboard had to manage injuries, the suspect and the vessel. Once it arrived, police could secure the scene, medics could treat the captain and prosecutors could begin weighing charges. Honokōhau Harbor is a working base for tours and fishing operations, and the vessel’s return there placed the case inside a familiar local setting. For operators who leave the harbor daily, the account stood out because it involved a private charter, a small group and a sudden attack with a tool normally kept for fish handling.
Prosecutors filed charges April 17 after consulting with police. Nissen’s total bail was set at $1.57 million. His first court date was scheduled for April 20 in Kona District Court. Later coverage of the case said defense lawyers requested a mental health evaluation and prosecutors did not object. A judge suspended proceedings pending that review. The case later advanced, with Nissen entering a not guilty plea at arraignment. His bail remained at $1.57 million. A pretrial conference is scheduled for July 13, and trial is scheduled for Aug. 25. Those dates give both sides time to test the witness accounts and medical evidence.
Several facts remain unresolved publicly. Police have not said why Nissen allegedly attacked the captain. Later accounts of court documents said witnesses described Nissen as anxious, pacing and opening cabinets before the stabbing. They also said he had panicked in the water and returned to the boat during the snorkel stop. Those details may matter to the mental health review and to trial strategy, but they do not replace the charges. The state still must prove the elements of attempted murder and assault. The defense may challenge intent, mental state, witness memory or other parts of the timeline. No public ruling has settled those issues.
Lurbiecki’s long career on the water has shaped the public view of the attack. He said he had been a captain for 35 years and had never seen anything like it. His short description of the incident as “the most random, wildest, craziest thing” spread widely because it matched the strange facts of the case. Yet the next phase will be less about shock and more about proof. Jurors, if the case reaches trial, may hear from the crew member, family members, police officers, medical workers and Lurbiecki himself. They may also hear about the knife, the boat layout and the minutes between the snorkel stop and the harbor.
Nissen remains charged as the case moves toward July and August court dates. The public record still leaves the motive unknown, while the captain’s return to harbor remains the event that allowed the arrest and medical response to happen.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.