Pol Lt Phirawat Yodtor, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Karon Police, was alerted at around 8:30am by the local lifeguard chief, who reported sighting a body about 20 metres from the shoreline.
Police coordinated with rescue personnel from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and a forensic doctor from Vachira Phuket Hospital, who arrived at the scene to find the body floating amid rough sea conditions. Officers used ropes to secure and retrieve the body from the water.
Initial examinations indicated the deceased was a foreign male wearing only black underwear. The body was taken for a formal autopsy at Vachira Phuket Hospital to confirm the cause of death.
Police initially checked for any related missing persons reports, and Pol Lt Col Wiwat Chamnankit, Acting Superintendent of Karon Police, confirmed the body was identified as that of a 41-year-old Australian man from Mount Gambier, South Australia.
He had been reported missing by his wife at the station three days prior.
Records show that the man arrived in Thailand on Apr 20. His permit to stay was valid until June 18.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.