PHUKET: Police on the holiday island of Phuket are puzzled about the final moments of a British man found floating dead in the sea.

The 32-year-old tourist was still wearing a pair of green lace-up shoes, a Singha beer brand singlet and a long, colorful pair of shorts when pulled from the water about 1.10pm today.

In his pockets rescuers found a 1000 baht note and a 500 baht note.

In a small bag still attached around his neck they found a credit card, a business card for the resort at which he was staying, and an unopened stick of chewing gum.

''There were no signs of violence on the body,'' said one person who helped pull the man from the sea.

The man had been staying at the Coral Island Resort on the island of the same name, which is also known as Hey Island.

''He booked in on Saturday and was due to leave today,'' a staffer said. ''There was a disturbance on Sunday and resort staff quietened him down in the lobby. They believed he was drunk.''

The man's body was pulled on board a passing speedboat today about 500 metres off Hey Island and transferred to the morgue at Vachira Phuket Hospital, in Phuket City.

Phuketwan has been supplied with the man's name but will withhold it from publication until relatives have been notified.