A prominent surfer from California was murdered at his home in Costa Rica during an apparent break-in over the weekend, according to reports.
Kurt Van Dyke, a 66-year-old expatriate who owned a hotel in the Costa Rican town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, was found dead Saturday inside his apartment, the Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told Costa Rican newspaper La Nación in Spanish. "We’ve had a long period of calm and tranquility.… This shocks and saddens us because the Caribbean has been so peaceful."
Van Dyke had developed a notable reputation among Santa Cruz’s surfing community before permanently settling in Costa Rica, where his skill surfing big waves earned him the moniker of "King" from the local surfing community, the Chronicle reported.