A foreign student from Korea is in critical condition in hospital after a near-drowning south of Vernon, B.C.

The 23-year-old had been playing beach volleyball at Kalamalka Lake on Friday when he dove into the water and began to struggle.

"He was a visiting student from out of the country and it looked like he was with some other students and he had made some motion to call for assistance," said Sgt. Ray Haugen with the Vernon RCMP.

"Three people did go out and attempted to locate him in the water. He was pulled from the water and then the ambulance attended … and they started doing first aid on him."

The student was taken to a hospital in Vancouver, about 300 kilometres southwest of Vernon, where he remains in critical condition.

Haugen said a language barrier may have prevented those nearby from understanding he was in trouble.

The student's name has not been released.

Earlier this month, a 17-year-old student from China drowned at Alice Lake Provincial Park, near Squamish, B.C.

That incident came just days after the release of a report commissioned by the Lifesaving Society of Canada that suggested newcomers to the country are at a greater risk of drowning in boating and swimming mishaps.

The study focused on newcomers from China, South Asia and Southeast Asia, and found those who have been in Canada less than five years are at the highest risk of drowning.