California surf icon known as ‘King’ of Salsa Brava killed in Costa Rica

A well-known California surfer turned businessman was reportedly killed by intruders in his Costa Rican home over the weekend, according to multiple local news reports.

On Feb. 14, Kurt Van Dyke, 66, from a prominent Santa Cruz surfing and farming family, was at the home he shared with his 31-year-old girlfriend in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca when the brutal attack occurred.

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Van Dyke’s girlfriend, identified only as Arroyo by the Costa Rican newspaper La Nación, was in the shower when two armed men broke into their apartment and forced the couple into a room.

Arroyo, who survived the incident, told local police that the suspects used zip ties on her hands and feet and assaulted her, the Daily Beast reported.

Investigators later found Van Dyke’s body beneath a bed with a sheet over his face. Preliminary reports suggest that he was choked to death and had suffered several stab wounds.

The thieves are said to have stolen some of the couple’s valuables, including Arroyo’s 2013 Hyundai Elantra, in which surveillance footage captured the two men fleeing the scene in.

Residents of the normally quiet coastal community in Costa Rica’s Limón province were shocked at the violence, especially directed at Van Dyke, a well-known and respected member of the Caribbean coast surfing community and the owner/operator of the budget-friendly Puerto Viejo Hotel.

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“This shocks and saddens us because the Caribbean has been so peaceful,” Roger Sams, president of Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told La Nación.

A long-time ex-pat, Van Dyke began frequenting the Limón province in 1983, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The area is known for barreling waves called Salsa Brava, which translates to “Wild Sauce” in English. The 66-year-old’s mastery of surfing the region’s big waves earned him the moniker of “King” by locals.

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Van Dyke had said in interviews that his love of surfing came from his family, who gave him his first surfboard at the age of 7. His father, Gene, was considered one of Northern California’s most notable surfing pioneers, while his mother, Betty, also a competitive surfing champion, encouraged women in the 1950’s and 60’s to take up the sport as well, The Chronicle reported.

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In addition to the Santa Cruz surfing community, the family has run Van Dyke Ranch, a sprawling farming operation that grows cherries, apricots and other fresh fruits, for nearly 60 years.

Peter Van Dyke, Kurt’s brother, took the ranch over when their mother died in 2021 at the age of 88.

“Kurt loved the ocean, our farm, animals and his family,” Peter told The Chronicle. “It’s a very sad time because of all the great memories we have growing up together, farming and surfing.”

While the incident is under investigation, Costa Rican officials have made no arrests.

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