In 1978 Jim Banks stunned the world when entering his first surfing contest he defeated 4 times world champion Mark Richards on his first heat on his way to 3rd place in the worlds then most prestigious surfing contest on a board he had shaped himself.

Regular North Shore of Hawaii seasons through the late 70’s and early 80’s confirmed his passion for paddling out on days when no one else would and taking off where no one else would. 

”Banks is something of an enigma in big wave riding circles.  He attacked the Pipeline like a true warrior, he’d paddle out as though every session were his last, and considering his approach to the world’s deadliest intersection, every session could easily have been his last.  On a good west day at Pipeline, the pecking order, starting with Lopez, would jockey within a very tight, take off zone, but sitting a good forty metres inside of this elite pack was Banks always. …..Bugs, ASL 1996

When Jim won the prestigious Sunset Beach Pro Class Trails in 1979 Hawaiian Head Judge Jack Shipley claimed that “Jim Banks rewrote the book on backhand surfing at Sunset Beach”

In 1982 at the height of his professional surfing career, Banks mysteriously walked away from his top 16 position and the whole scene…

Banks then went on to pioneer some of the most remote and challenging surf breaks ever surfed.

“if you ever pull up at some remote surfing break and see a lone figure out amongst mountains of white water it’s more than likely to be Jim Banks”  Wayne Rabbit Bartholomew

Throughout the ‘80’s, while pro surfing consumed the attention of the surfing world Jim was spending long sessions by himself in remote locations exploring the possibilities of where he and his boards could go on a wave.

“Jim Banks is a real explorer. He makes his own boards, heads off to Indo, stays in primitive housing, learning the language and customs of the locals and carves up anything that comes his way. He’s his own man, easily recognised by the gleam in his eye.” …James Elder, ASL annual 1990

In the mid 90’s Jim confirmed his reputation as one of the world’s best tube riders when he turned up at the post contest Speedies sessions of the first Quiksilver Pro and 8 times world champ, Kelly Slater, claimed that a tube rides of Jim’s that he witnessed was the best tube ride he’d ever seen.

These days, in between quiet sojourns to remote corners of Indonesia and the North West Aussie desert where he rekindles his passion for long, deep tube rides, Jim hides out in the hills behind Byron Bay shaping limited numbers of  custom boards for a small group of select customers.