It’s unfortunate that everyone who rides a wakeboard will not be able to meet and ride with Padiwat Jaemjan. That may sound kind of ridiculous, but it’s true. Why? Well, Bomb, as Padiwat is known, is one of the biggest breaths of fresh air in all of wakeboarding. He possesses an insanely positive outlook and approach to riding, and his score on the politeness scale is off the charts. After a contest run, it’s pretty common for Bomb to drop the handle on the way to the dock, bow and give salutations to everyone in the boat. Since wakeboarding has such a strong global reach, it’s rad to meet someone like Bomb and get a glimpse of the culture he was brought up in and how wakeboarding fits in.
Even though he’s fairly young, Bomb is already a legend of sorts in the Asian wakeboarding scene. In fact, when it comes to wakeboarding in Southeast Asia, Bomb is the man. Coming from Thailand, he has been a strong promoter of the sport over the years, riding both cable and boat. Watching him behind the boat is mind-blowing. He looks like he springs off the wake on the majority of his tricks. The first time I watched him ride, it reminded me of that Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog. He’s the only person I know who can blast regular and switch 313s into the flats, and he also has great rail style and grabs his air tricks on the cable for a super-long time.
Over the past few years, Bomb has ridden on the WWA World Series and he’s come to the United States to stay with guys like Shawn Watson and Aaron Rathy. Expect to see more of Bomb this summer because he’s sticking around for the King of Wake World Cup, and he’ll be riding a bunch with the boys in Clermont, Florida, and Orlando. So, if you’re heading out to one of the contests this year, be sure to say, “What’s up?” to Bomb. My guess is he’ll be pleased to meet you. — Shawn Perry
Padiwat Jaemjan
Age: 22
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand
Sponsors: Billabong, CWB, Nixon, TE Wake N’ Ski, Von Zipper
