Surfing legend, 66, brutally murdered at Costa Rica hotel he owns during burglary that saw his girlfriend, 31, zip-tied
A California surfing legend has been suffocated and stabbed to death by burglars who also zip-tied his girlfriend in their Costa Rica home, according to local police.
Surfer and hotelier Kurt Van Dyke, 66, was found dead under his bed with a sheet over his head in the vacation hotspot of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on Saturday, the Tico Times reported.
Van Dyke's girlfriend, who officials have identified only as Arroyo, 31, was showering when two armed men broke into their beachside apartment and held them at gunpoint.
The burglars killed Van Dyke, before binding Arroyo's hands and feet and fleeing in a 2013 Hyundai Elantra stolen from their property, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Van Dyke's body showed signs of asphyxiation and multiple stab wounds, a preliminary examination found. A knife was found beside him.
The surfer's heartbroken brother, Peter Van Dyke, remembered him as 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,' he added. 'Everyone that he met knew this about him.'
Van Dyke has owned the popular Hotel Puerto Viejo for 40 years. He was born to a family of influential surfers, and established his own legacy riding the waves in Santa Cruz.
A California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke has been suffocated and stabbed to death by burglars who also zip-tied his girlfriend in their Costa Rica home, according to local police
Van Dyke came from a family of influential surfers and established his own legacy in Santa Cruz. His father, Gene, was a pioneer in the surfing community, and his mother, Betty, helped women join the sport in the 1950s and 1960s. He was known as the 'King' of the waves
Van Dyke, 66, who owns Hotel Puerto Viejo (pictured), was found dead under his bed with a sheet over his head and a knife nearby on Saturday, reports the Tico Times
His father, Gene, was a pioneer in the surfing community, and his mother, Betty, helped women join the sport in the 1950s and 1960s.
Van Dyke moved to Costa Rica in 1983, choosing to settle down on the Caribbean coast for its famous Salsa Brava waves.
Surfing the powerful hollow swells, Van Dyke became known as 'King' to those in the watersports community, according to the Chronicle.
Roger Sams, president of Costa Rica's Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told Costa Rican newspaper La Nación in Spanish that he was deeply saddened by the legendary surfer's passing.
'We've had a long period of calm and tranquility. This shocks and saddens us because the Caribbean has been so peaceful,' Sam's told the newspaper.
According to Island reports, the Limón province, where both Van Dyke's apartment and hotel lie, is where 25 percent of homicides occur in Costa Rica, as reported by SF First.
Sams told La Nación in Spanish: 'This is an isolated case, it involves a hotel owner, not a tourist. It has nothing to do with tourists and the people who come to visit us.'
Friends and admirers of Van Dyke shared their heartbreak at the devastating news of his unexpected death.
California surfing legend Kurt Van Dyke (pictured) has been suffocated and stabbed to death by burglars who also zip-tied his girlfriend at their Costa Rica home, according to police
The Limón province, where both Van Dyke's apartment and hotel lie, is where 25 percent of homicides occur in the country (Pictured: the beach next to Van Dyke's Hotel Puerto Viejo)
'Rest in peace, Kurt Van Dyke,' one friend posted online. 'Today we remember your spirit, your energy, and the light you brought into the lives around you. Some people leave footprints — you left waves. May you surf the clouds forever, free and fearless.'
Van Dyke's cousin added: 'Here's a memorial post for Kurt Van Dyke. Most of you know he was my cousin and early years Peter, Kurt and myself were inseparable surfing, school and most of life.
'We were very close. This is in honor of him and condolences, words, talk story I will send to his immediate family and his brothers. From the generations past to present day.'
A third wrote: 'We will miss you, bro. Rest in peace, Kurt. We'll see you on the next ride. My sincere condolences to the Van Dyke family and friends.'
Recently, Van Dyke told a Limón publication that he was gifted his first surfboard when he was seven and described the sport as both euphoric and addictive, as cited by the Chronicle.
In addition to surfing, his family has operated the Van Dyke Ranch in Gilroy, California, for six decades.
