Visitor arrested, charged in relation to stabbing incident on a 3-hour snorkel tour

Hawaiʻi Island police have arrested and charged a 21-year-old man visiting from Overland Park, Kansas, after stabbing a boat captain while on a private snorkel tour with Hawai‘i Nautical out of Honokōhau Harbor on Thursday, April 16.

Kona patrol officers responded to the harbor, located in North Kona, at 3:21 p.m., where the vessel was returning from sea with the victim, a crew member and three passengers, including the suspect, later identified as Avery Nissen.

Stan Lurbiecki, captain of the 55-foot catamaran, recalled the attack while recovering from his injuries at Kona Community Hospital on Friday, April 17.

Lurbiecki, 62, said he had taken Nissen along with his mother and sibling, out on a private three-hour snorkel tour.

Lurbiecki said it was he and one crew member on the vessel with the guests. They took them out for the snorkel trip, where the suspect, later identified as Nissen, stayed on board while Nissen’s mom and sibling got in the water.

After the snorkel, Lurbiecki started heading back toward the harbor. They were 30 minutes away when Lurbiecki said Nissen snuck a 10-inch fillet knife from the boat’s galley and stabbed him in the back unprovoked.

“I wrestled the knife out of him and he continued to frantically stab away at me,” Lurbiecki said, adding Nissen’s mother tried to intervene.

At that point, the boat captain said, Nissen leapt off the side of the boat. Using a towel to hold pressure on his neck, Lubriecki went back to rescue Nissen.

Nissen was able to climb back onto the boat and sat with his mother for the duration of the trip without incident.

Nissen’s sibling helped Lubriecki by putting pressure on his wounds, “stopping me from bleeding out on the way in.”

“I made it into the harbor and backed the boat up, and the paramedics met me there and further stopped the bleeding,” Lubriecki said. “I’d lost almost half my blood.”

The motive for the attack is unknown.

Lubriecki was taken to Kona Community Hospital, where he was given several blood transfusions.

After conferring with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Nissen was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

His total bail was set at $1,570,000. Nissen’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Monday, April 20, in Kona District Court.

Lubriecki said he’s been a boat captain for 35 years. Nothing like this has ever happened to him and it likely never will again, he added.

“This is like the most random, wildest, craziest thing you’ll ever hear of,” he said.

Police ask anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Detective Bradley Llanes at 808-326-4646, ext. 268, or via email at Bradley.Llanes@hawaiipolice.gov.