Surf Pioneer Kurt Van Dyke Killed in Costa Rica

U.S. surfer Kurt Van Dyke, 66, was found dead Saturday following an armed break-in at his apartment in Cahuita, a Caribbean coastal town in Costa Rica’s Limón province, approximately 100 to 105 miles east of the capital, San José.

Police responded around 10:50 a.m. after receiving a call about an armed home invasion and a man found dead inside a room. Officers from the Costa Rican National Police and the country’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) arrived at the residence, located in the municipality of Talamanca, and confirmed Van Dyke’s death.

According to OIJ spokesperson Carlos Valverde, Van Dyke was inside the apartment with a woman when two armed men allegedly entered the residence. Preliminary reports state the suspects threatened them with a firearm and held them for several minutes while stealing valuables.

Authorities said Van Dyke died at the scene. Officials reported he was asphyxiated and sustained several stab wounds. Police also said he was strangled and stabbed multiple times. His body was discovered beneath a bed with a sheet covering his face.

The woman, identified by the Los Angeles Times as 31-year-old Arroyo, was in the shower when the robbers broke in. She was restrained with zip ties during the incident and survived. Authorities did not release her first name. Law enforcement said she escaped without serious injuries and described her wounds as minor and not life-threatening. She was transported to a hospital for treatment.

After the attack, investigators said the suspects fled in a Hyundai Elantra identified as a 2013 model that belonged to the girlfriend, according to the OIJ, though other reports described it as Van Dyke’s vehicle. No arrests have been announced. Police are reviewing CCTV cameras as part of the investigation.

Van Dyke’s body was taken to the forensic morgue to determine the exact cause of death. The OIJ stated the case remains under investigation to clarify the circumstances and identify those responsible. Additional details were not immediately available.

Van Dyke was originally from Santa Cruz, California, and began surfing at age 7. He became known on the Santa Cruz surfing scene and was regarded as a pioneer of Northern California surfing. He was sometimes described as a California surfing “king.”

In 1983, he traveled to Costa Rica’s southern Limón province to surf Salsa Brava, a high-intensity and often dangerous wave comparable to those in Hawaii. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, he became known along the Caribbean coast’s surfing community as “King” for his mastery of big waves.

He later became a longtime resident of Costa Rica and owned a hostel for surfers in Puerto Viejo on the country’s Caribbean coast for many years. He was recognized in the international surfing community for competing and promoting the sport throughout the Caribbean region. Costa Rican police said he was well known among local surfers.

Van Dyke was part of a well-known California surfing family. His father, Gene Van Dyke, helped popularize surfing in Northern California. His mother, Betty Ann Van Dyke, was the daughter of Croatian immigrants and part of a “pioneer group of early modern-day female surfers,” according to her 2021 obituary. The Associated Press reported that Betty’s first husband, Gene Van Dyke, was also a well-known Northern California surfer.

News of his death moved through the California surfing community.

“My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody,” his brother, Peter Van Dyke, told the San Francisco Chronicle via text. “Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met knew this about him.”

Raw Surf, a global media platform dedicated to sharing surf culture and stories worldwide, posted a message on Instagram. “Our hearts go out to Kurt’s family and the Costa Rican surfing community for this unimaginable loss,” the statement read.