Witnesses say that Mr Pavel Ugai was among a large group of tourists who decided to ignore the red warning flags on Surin Beach and go for a swim in the dangerous surf, before he was sucked by a rip current and found himself 250 metres from the coastline.
Onlookers yelled for help, catching the attention of lifeguards who swam out to save the Russian tourist, bringing him back to the beach as Cherng Talay Rescue Volunteers were called.
CPR was administered on the scene until an ambulance arrived to transport the tourist to hospital.
Mr Pavel is the third tourist to drown off a Phuket Beach in three days. Asian tourists who ignored red flags in Patong on Thursday and in Kata on Friday both succumbed to the surf.