California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke killed in Costa Rica home invasion

California surfer killed in Costa Rica home invasion

Kurt Van Dyke, a well-known surfer along the Central Coast before moving abroad, was killed Saturday at his home in Costa Rica.

California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke was killed during a violent home invasion in Costa Rica.

Home invasion in Costa Rica

The backstory:

Police in Costa Rica’s Limón province said intruders broke into Van Dyke’s home Saturday, tied him and his girlfriend up and killed him. Authorities said valuables were taken.

Authorities say Van Dyke, 66, was found dead under a bed with stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation. His girlfriend survived the attack. 

"For all of us, it was a shock that that happened, and we’re really sorry for the family and friends and everyone related to him," said Roger Sans of the Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce. "It’s a really sad thing that happened, and it’s really disturbing for all of us."

Santa Cruz surfing roots

Local perspective:

Speaking Monday at the family’s farm in Gilroy, Peter Van Dyke said his middle brother, Kurt, was two years younger but they had been inseparable since childhood.

"Kurt — he was always there for us. He always had this adventurous nature to him when it came to the ocean," Peter Van Dyke said. "We spent a lot of time exploring the ocean north of Santa Cruz and south."

The Van Dyke family has deep surfing roots along the Santa Cruz coast, stretching back generations. As a boy, Kurt Van Dyke prioritized surfing above nearly everything else.

"I’d say, ‘Hey, aren’t you going to school?’ And he’d say, ‘Nah, there’s nobody surfing at the Hook, man, and it’s four feet — it’s perfect. I’m going out,’" said David Smith, a childhood friend. "I’d see him more in the water than I’d see him at school."

By the mid-1980s, Van Dyke had become a renowned Central Coast surfer. He later left California for the then-undeveloped coastline and tropical waters of Costa Rica. He eventually bought a hostel near Salsa Brava, started a family and made the country his home.

"Anybody that’s ever surfed — it’s an addiction. Once you’re in the water riding waves, there’s no going back," Peter Van Dyke said.

"Basically, he was the king of Salsa Brava," Smith added. "They would call him the king."

Family in shock

What they're saying:

For a family that built its life around the ocean before moving inland to Gilroy to run a farm, the loss has been devastating.

"Everybody’s still in shock," Peter Van Dyke said. "There have been tears, conversations, reflections, memories. I think we’re all going through that process everybody goes through when somebody close to them passes."

Kurt Van Dyke is survived by his three children: Salvador, 23; Lulu, 21; and Jacob, 7.

The family has not yet announced plans for a funeral in Costa Rica or memorial services in Santa Cruz or the South Bay.