Frank Solomon is the prince of Dungeons

Story by Craig Jarvis

Frank Solomon is no stranger in big wave surfing, but he’s an underground kind of charger. Well, as underground as you can be if you ride for Hurley, are about to have a signature film made about you, and call John John Florence one of your best mates.

“Frank’s one of my friends who I don’t see all the time but when we’re together we have a good time,” John told Stab. “He’ll go on anything. When we’re surfing slabs or something, he’ll go and I’ll think to myself, ‘Well he went, I think I’ll try and go now’. There’s been so many times no one wants to paddle out, in South Africa or something, and Frank just paddles out all amped. Middle of nowhere, Frank will charge a 10-foot slab, break his board and I’ll have to paddle over to him and see if it’s all good. There’s just so many funny times with him.”

With the BWWT event at Dungeons looming, we went down to Hout Bay in Cape Town to chat with Frank and have a look over his home break. It was flat.

Stab: You’ve been doing some missions with John John and his pals lately?
Frank: John John and his mates and his family are good friends of mine. They’ve been coming and cruising with me for the last eight years. Always good times with them around. We’ve been surfing somewhere in South Africa – not telling you where, though. Jamie O’Brien and Kalani Chapman were in the crew, too. We scored big time. West and east. The Hawaiians were blown away by the quality of waves we scored. We never saw another surfer at any of the breaks we scored. Some of them were secret, some were fully inaccessible, some were sharky. It was four-wheel drive in, bring your own water, food, camp. Score. The best was this one spot that was six-to-eight foot and flawless barrels.

Parties? Oh yes. Big nights. Not John though. We had a couple of big nights in J-Bay and a couple of big nights in Cape Town. Those Hawaiians really know how to go for it. I certainly couldn’t keep up.

The image used for the Dungeons Challenge poster. Photo: ASP

You didn’t get a start in Chile this year, and you’re only an alternate for Cape Town. What happened? To be honest I was bummed because I’ve surfed both those waves before and I feel my surfing is in a better place these days, but it’s all good. These things happen. I’m just stoked to at least be in the mix with the surfers.

But you still got both event posters for Chile and Dungeons. That’s, like, fame! Yeah, stoked. I got two out of six posters. Thank you ASP or whoever decides that. I’m really stoked. I’m second alternate in both events, so I should get a chance to surf. If I do, I’m gonna charge. I just hope that one of the events run.

And now they’re making a movie about you. They are indeed. It’s going to be called ‘Let’s Be Frank’ and it’s going to be directed by Peter Hamblin. We’re currently signing contracts so I can’t say much. It’s going to be about my life the last couple of years, pre-sponsor years etc. traveling and looking for the big waves with zero budget. John John is in the mix and he’s going to be helping out so it’s going to be exciting to see how it turns out.

Keep your eyes on the Dungeons event here.