This is the heart-stopping moment a tourist was rescued after falling from a ferry in Thailand.

The Thai man reportedly plunged into the sea before he was spotted by passengers on the Seatran Ferry vessel off 'White Lotus' island Koh Samui.

Footage shows the fallen passenger drifting in the water as the crew scrambled to save him. They threw life preservers before jumping off the ship and swimming toward him.

The man was then dragged back onboard, exhausted but uninjured.

Onlooker Anocha Morasin said: 'At around 11:30 am, someone informed that a man had jumped from the ship. At that time, the ferry was already halfway through the journey. 

‘The vessel immediately turned back to check and soon found a Thai man floating in the water. He had been floating for a long time and was getting exhausted, almost drowning.

‘A crew member then jumped into the water to rescue him and brought him safely on board. 

‘Everyone on the ferry was anxiously watching and cheering him on. When the rescue succeeded, everyone applauded for the crew member.'

The man was earlier seen on CCTV appearing to jump from the ferry, which was headed to the Don Sak district of Surat Thani province.

Officials did not clarify if he intentionally leapt into the sea.

Koh Samui has seen a surge of tourism among US, British and European travellers following the success of The White Lotus's third season.

The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, which serves as the show's fictional setting, saw a tenfold increase in demand, its executive vice president Marc Speichert said. The spike in interest, called the 'White Lotus Effect', also boosted tourism in the previous filming locations of Hawaii and Sicily.

However, the island has become a notorious drug haven after seeing an influx of narcotics smugglers due to lax enforcement.