Passenger stabs catamaran captain during private Hawaii snorkel tour

Captain Stan Lurbiecki was rushed to Kona Community Hospital after a passenger allegedly stabbed him aboard Hawaii Nautical’s No Wiki during a private snorkel run off the Kona coast, a violent turn that put a 15-meter catamaran and its crew into emergency mode in seconds.

Hawaiʻi Police Department said the stabbing happened at 3:21 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2026, during a tour out of Honokōhau Harbor. The suspect was identified as Avery Nissen, 21, of Overland Park, Kansas, and police said he was charged with attempted murder and related offenses. Prosecutors later specified second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, with bail set at $1.57 million and an initial court appearance scheduled for Monday, April 20, in Kona District Court.

The incident unfolded on a private three-hour family snorkel trip, not a crowded public departure, which makes the assault especially notable for small charter operators that often market a more controlled onboard experience. Divernet reported that relatives were snorkeling while Nissen was aboard with his mother and sibling, and that other passengers helped restrain him after the attack. The vessel was identified as No Wiki, a catamaran operated by Hawaii Nautical.

Lurbiecki, 62, had been a boat captain for 35 years, according to Divernet. His experience appears to have mattered once the violence started, because the boat and everyone on board were still brought through the emergency without a wider casualty event. At Kona Community Hospital, Lurbiecki said he had lost almost half his blood and received several blood transfusions, underscoring how close the situation came to becoming a fatal case before medical care took over.

For Hawaii’s snorkel and catamaran sector, the practical questions are immediate: how crews isolate an aggressor, how quickly a captain can shift from hospitality to security, and how passengers can be used to contain a threat without putting more people at risk. Insurers and operators will also be looking hard at passenger management on small-group trips, where a vessel may have only a handful of crew members and little margin for delay.

Hawaii Nautical operates multiple sightseeing and snorkel catamarans, including Spirit of Aloha 1, Spirit of Aloha 2, Spirit of Aloha 3 and Ko Nau Lani. No Wiki now joins a grim list of reminder cases for the industry: on a calm day off Hawaiʻi Island, the difference between routine charter service and a life-threatening onboard emergency can be measured in moments.