Meet James: The Owner Behind WakeGarden, Bangkok's Newest 2-Tower Wake Park
WakeGarden opened one month ago in Bang Na. Owner James started wakeboarding at 16 and partners with Neverdry, the 2-tower manufacturer behind cable parks around the world. Here is why his new place is already the best beginner spot in Bangkok.
A month ago, WakeGarden Wake Park opened its gates in Bang Na. One month in, it has already become one of the most talked-about beginner destinations in the Bangkok wakeboarding scene - and the story behind it is worth knowing before you book your first session.
A Lifelong Dream, Built in Bang Na
Tiwakon "James" Kulprasuddiruk, the owner of WakeGarden, started wakeboarding when he was 16 years old. For most of the time since, opening his own wake park has been his dream - the one he kept coming back to between training sessions, between jobs, between the kind of side quests that most people quietly abandon. Eventually the obvious question surfaced: why not build one of my own?
Why Bang Na?
James did his research. He looked at traffic flow, catchment areas, proximity to existing parks, and land costs across greater Bangkok. Bang Na won on every dimension he cared about. It puts WakeGarden inside a 30-minute Grab ride from Sukhumvit and On Nut - the heart of Bangkok's rider population. The location is right behind Decathlon Bangna, which is exactly the kind of detail only a rider thinks about (forgot your board shorts? fins? a vest? walk over and sort it).
Even better: WakeGarden sits a short hop from Taco Lake, Bangkok's cheapest full cable. Taco runs a full 5-corner cable but has no 2-tower. So WakeGarden becomes the perfect companion park - drop into Taco for long cable drills in the morning, then refine a specific trick on WakeGarden's 2-tower in the afternoon. It is the most well-rounded single-day Bang Na itinerary anywhere in the city.
The Park Right Now
WakeGarden is built around a single 2-tower cable that James's team set up themselves - so you know the line runs clean. The park currently has one kicker obstacle, with a second pro-level obstacle under construction. The 2-tower setup is short, straight, and repeatable, which makes it ideal for beginners drilling their first edge and for intermediate riders rehearsing a single trick over and over without the chaos of a 5-corner cable.
The atmosphere is deliberately chill. Straw huts give you shade between runs. A kiosk sells cold drinks. There is plenty of seating for friends who are watching rather than riding. The vibe is closer to "Sunday with the crew" than "commercial wake factory" - which, given how James actually runs the place, makes sense.
The Coaching Is the Real Draw
Here is the part that has made WakeGarden stand out in its first month: James is an excellent coach. In the park's first weeks, he has personally walked several riders all the way through to air raleys - a trick most wakeboarders never land even after years of practice.
That is the kind of progression that only happens when the coach has genuinely put the years in and knows how to break each movement down into a sequence a beginner can actually execute. If you are learning - whether it is your first day ever, or you are an intermediate rider stuck on a specific trick - James is one of the most under-priced coaching resources in Thai wakeboarding right now.
Should You Ride WakeGarden?
Yes, if any of these describe you:
- You are new to wakeboarding and want patient attentive coaching in a low-pressure environment.
- You are drilling a specific trick and want a 2-tower where you can rep the same line 20 times without a queue.
- You are based in Sukhumvit, On Nut, or Bang Na and want a quick after-work session without a 45-minute drive to Rangsit or Lumlukka.
- You already ride Taco Lake and want a 2-tower combo session - Taco full cable in the morning, WakeGarden 2-tower in the afternoon.
The Bigger Picture
Bangkok's wake scene has always had a few dominant flagship parks - TWP Lumlukka, ESC Thai Wake Park, Zanook - all of them full cables. What the city was missing was a rider-owned 2-tower focused specifically on progression and coaching. WakeGarden fills that gap.
One month in, James has built exactly the kind of place he always imagined. Book a session, meet him, and see why the early reviews are what they are.
See the full park details: WakeGarden Wake Park page | Compare all Bangkok parks: Wake Parks Bangkok
