California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke was killed during a violent home invasion in a Costa Rica coastal town over the weekend, according to reports.
The 66-year-old, who was a Costa Rica resident and hotel owner in Puerto Viejo, was found dead Saturday morning in his apartment in Cahuita. His body showed signs of strangulation and stab wounds, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
Van Dyke was in the apartment with a woman when they were allegedly approached by two armed men, OIJ spokesman Carlos Valverde told CNN. The woman he was with was reportedly his 31-year-old girlfriend, according to Surfer.
The suspects reportedly threatened them with a firearm and held them for several minutes while stealing valuables, including a vehicle.
Van Dyke “was asphyxiated and had several stab wounds,” the OIJ spokesperson said. The woman with him suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries.
Van Dyke, originally from Santa Cruz, California, was well regarded in the international surfing community and known for his participation in competitions and efforts to help grow the sport in the Caribbean.
His family had deep roots surfing along the Santa Cruz coast, going back generations.
A 2021 obituary of his mother, Betty Van Dyke, said that she was part of a pioneering group of early female surfers. Her first husband, Gene Van Dyke, was also a well-known surfer in California.
His brother, Peter Van Dyke, told the San Francisco Chronicle via text: “My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody. Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met know this about him.”
David Smith, a childhood friend of Van Dyke’s, recalled how he would skip school to go surfing as a child.
“I’d see him more in the water than I’d see him at school,” he told Fox LA, later adding, “Basically, he was the king of Salsa Brava. They would call him the king.”
Another friend of Van Dyke, Ronald Umana, mourned the loss on social media.
“We remember your spirit, your energy, and the light you brought into the lives around you. Some people leave footprints — you left waves,” he wrote, according to Surfer.
Roger Sams, the President of the Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce addressed Van Dyke’s death in a statement to La Nacion.
“I am very sorry for the news, every human loss is regrettable, it is a fact that we do not wish for anyone. We have a lot of time of great calm, of a lot of tranquility, we have the Police delegation in Playa Negra, the cantonal, which is the most modern in the country. We are working hand in hand on security issues. It shocks us and hurts us, because the Caribbean has been very calm,” he said.
Sams reassured visitors that the killing was an isolated incident.
“There have been no cases of violence reported like this against tourists. In recent months there has been no violence or assaults. This is an isolated case, he is the owner of a hotel, not a tourist, it has not to do with tourists and the people who come to visit us,” he said.
Raw Surf, a global media company dedicated to sharing surfing culture, shared condolences following Van Dyke’s tragic death, writing on Instagram, “Our hearts go out to Kurt’s family and the Costa Rican surfing community for this unimaginable loss.”
Van Dyke is survived by his three children: Salvador, 23; Lulu, 21; and Jacob, 7.
With reporting by the Associated Press.
