WATER SAFETY experts are hoping to encourage airlines flying to Phuket to screen an in-flight message warning about dangers at beaches and in pools. This tactic is being adopted in Australia to deal with an unexpected rise in beach drownings.

On Phuket, where the number of drownings in proportion to the population far exceeds the Australian figures, much still needs to improve.

The need for swift change was brought home in a vivid account of the last moments of a young British tourist who drowned on Phuket earlier this year.

Here's what Ian Fenwick told a British coroner's hearing about being with 21-year-old Rebecca Callaghan at Karon beach: ''We were in the water and saw the red flags lined along the beach so we asked three lifeguards what they meant as they seem to mean different things in different parts of the country.

''We were told not to go swimming and not to lie down as the current was particularly strong that day; but going in the shallows was ok.

''Conditions seemed quite calm. We were in the water up to our knees, hugging, when a wave came from behind and knocked us off our feet. The sand beneath the water was different depths and the water was over my head.

''I had Rebecca on my back at one point but the water and her weight was pushing me under. I remember feeling her arms let go of me.''

A report in the Worcester News of Ms Callaghan's inquest continued: ''When Mr Fenwick rose to the surface he swam towards shore shouting for help as another wave crashed down, leading him to think he would not get back to the beach at all. He eventually got to his feet and saw Miss Callaghan lying face down in the water.''

Attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. It was June 12, the first day of their holiday on Phuket. The couple had been travelling with two friends at the start of a three-month backpacking adventure.

Miss Callaghan was due to begin studying an animal welfare course at university this month, the newspaper said. Coroner Geraint Williams recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Several more drownings of tourists on popular Phuket west coast beaches have followed - all of them preventable and unnecessary.

Statistically, fewer drownings have taken place so far this year on Phuket's beaches in comparison with last year. More resorts understand that their help is needed to warn all visitors of the dangers.

A three-stage warning process - on incoming flights, as guests check in at resorts, and at the beaches - is now seen as the most effective method of alerting everyone to the danger, especially during the monsoon season.

The warnings are best complemented by trained lifeguards who can rescue people from the surf if necessary.

Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation chief executive Paiboon Upatising has given support to recent efforts to improve training, and to promoting Phuket's annual surf lifesaving carnival.

What needs to happen next is for the lifeguard system to be kept in place all year long. Many Thai and expat tourists would be horrified to know that Phuket's popular beaches go unguarded during high season, when most people are at the beaches.

A year-round system would also help to preserve the skills of a team that has to be reassembled each year because the lifeguard service has to be put out to tender. While the tendering system minimises the risk of corruption, it also minimises the chances of retaining skilled lifesavers.

Advances in equipment - the best system would put jet-skis with sleds on every beach - are coming, but costly. An Australian designer has even produced a surf ski that is perfect for lighter-bodied Thais.

Help is on the way. Sadly, it has come too late for some holidaymakers who believed they were safe in the surf on Phuket, including young Rebecca Callaghan.