SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Kurt Van Dyke, a California surfing legend who later settled in Costa Rica and owned a hotel in the Central American country, was killed Saturday during a home invasion in the Limón province, authorities said. He was 66.
The incident occurred in Hone Creek, Cahuita, Talamanca, according to the Tico Times, an English language newspaper in Costa Rica. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) received a report at 10:50 a.m. local time.
According to authorities, Van Dyke’s body showed signs of asphyxiation and multiple stab wounds, according to the preliminary examination.
A South Bay family is in shock and mourning after learning one of its members was murdered over the weekend. Relatives said Kurt Van Dyke, a surfing legend in Santa Cruz before moving to Costa Rica, was killed Saturday in his home by intruders. https://t.co/OFwjl3EYUN
— KTVU (@KTVU) February 17, 2026
Police in the Limón province said intruders broke into Van Dyke’s home on Saturday, tied him and his girlfriend up and killed him, KTVU reported. Authorities said valuables were taken.
“We don’t really have the time to mourn,” the surfer’s older brother Peter Van Dyke told KNTV. “It just hit us right now.”
Investigators said that Van Dyke shared an apartment with a woman when he was attacked, the Tico Times reported. The woman survived; the suspects and escaped using two vehicles, including one taken from the property, according to the newspaper.
Peter Van Dyke said his brother was very involved in the community.
“Very benevolent. Helped people with projects. He was very well loved in the community,” he told the television station. “As a matter of fact, from what I gather from the people I talked to there, they are extremely angry. They want justice. Some of them want vengeance of some sort.”
Cahuita homicide of hotel owner Kurt Van Dyke sparks Hotel Chamber concern over Caribbean safety image. Groups emphasize the area stays safe and the incident is atypical.
— The Tico Times (@TheTicoTimes) February 16, 2026
Full report: https://t.co/4PItxxEyDy#CostaRica #costaricanews
By the mid-1980s, Van Dyke had become a renowned surfer on California’s Central Coast, KTVU reported. He then left for Costa Rica and bought a hostel near Salsa Brava.
“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,” Roger Sans of the Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce told the KTVU. “It’s a really sad thing that happened, and it’s really disturbing for all of us.”
Van Dyke was part of a well-known California surfing family, The Associated Press reported. Hs mother, Betty Van Dyke, was part of a pioneering group of early female surfers, the Mercury News reported in her April 2021 obituary. Her first husband, Gene Van Dyke, was also a well-known Northern California surfer.
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