A young foreign student from Egypt swimming in a northern Minnesota lake drowned Tuesday evening after taking off his life vest on Twin Lakes, northwest of Ely, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.

Ammar Abo El-Nago, 18, a foreign exchange student from Oberlin College in Ohio, made it from shore to a floating dock and back initially "and felt confident he could make it again ... without a life vest," the Sheriff's Office said.

As he reached the dock, he went under.

His body was recovered after about 30 minutes.