Kurt Van Dyke, a well-known surfer from a prominent Santa Cruz family of surfers who also own Van Dyke Farms in Gilroy, was killed by armed intruders Saturday in his home in Costa Rica on the Caribbean Coast where he was a longtime hostel owner.
As the Chronicle reports, two armed intruders broke into the Costa Rica apartment of 66-year-old Kurt Van Dyke Saturday, tied the hands and feet of Van Dyke and his 31-year-old girlfriend, who authorities identified by her last name, Arroyo, and held them in a room for several minutes. As the Costa Rican paper the Tico Times reports, the intruders then reportedly assaulted Van Dyke and fled with some of the couple’s valuables, including one of their vehicles.
Per the Chronicle, it’s unclear what happened during the events leading up to Van Dyke's death, but his body was found under a bed with a sheet over his head. He had been asphyxiated and had multiple stab wounds, and there was reportedly a knife found next to his body.
“My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody,” Kurt’s brother, Peter Van Dyke, told the Chronicle over text. “Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met knew this about him.”
The Chronicle reports that Van Dyke was the owner of Hotel Puerto Viejo, a popular hostel in the beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, which is a short drive from his home in the town of Cahuita, both located in the southern portion of the Limón province. The paper notes that while drug trafficking and other types of organized crime are present in the province, the small beach towns where Van Dyke spent his time are typically limited to petty crimes, such as theft, pickpocketing, and break-ins.
“We have the Police delegation in Playa Negra, the cantonal, which is the most modern in the country,” wrote Roger Sams, president of the Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, per the site Surfer. “We are working hand in hand on security issues. It shocks us and hurts us, because the Caribbean has been very calm.”
“There have been no cases of violence reported like this against tourists. In recent months there has been no violence or assaults,” Sams continued. “This is an isolated case, he is the owner of a hotel, not a tourist, it has not to do with tourists and the people who come to visit us.”
As the site Islands.com reports, gang and drug trafficking-related crimes have historically been centered around the province’s capital, Puerto Limón, but the opening of a new port there in 2019 has resulted in the spread of organized crime and trafficking into surrounding areas. Per the site, homicides in Puerto Limón account for 25% of all the homicides in the country.
Per the Chronicle, Van Dyke, who got his first surfboard at age 7, was born in Santa Cruz to Gene and Betty Van Dyke, two pioneering, surf-loving parents who were also prominent in the farming community, as the family has owned Van Dyke Ranch in Gilroy’s Gavilan Mountains for 60 years.
“Kurt loved the ocean, our farm, animals and his family,” said Peter Van Dyke, per Surfer. “It’s a very sad time because of all the great memories we have growing up together, farming and surfing.”
“We remember your spirit, your energy, and the light you brought into the lives around you. Some people leave footprints — you left waves,” wrote a friend of Van Dyke on social media.
Image: Kurt Van Dyke/Facebook
