Pol Lt Charat Lempan of the Chalong Police was informed of the incident at 8:50pm.
The man’s son said that he and his father went to swim in the water at about 7:30pm, Lt Charat explained.
Both the boy and his father encountered difficulty in the strong surf. The son managed to swim back to shore, but his father was pulled out to sea, he added.
Lifeguards launched a search for the German man, and later found him and brought him ashore near the sports ground.
The man was unconscious, Lt Charat explained. Rescue workers performed CPR and rushed him to Chalong, but the man was later pronounced dead.
The German man’s body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital to confirm the cause of death.