The 17-year-old who died after drowning in Shawnigan Lake over the weekend was “an extremely popular and talented” student visiting from England, according to his school’s headmaster.

Abdu-Jamal Ottun, a Year 12 student at Wallington County Grammar School in the London borough of Sutton, was on a scheduled swimming outing with friends while on a rugby tour to B.C.

While it’s unclear exactly what led to his death, Mounties said they were called to the lake at around 4:50 p.m. Sunday for a report of a missing person and possible drowning.

A Shawnigan Lake firefighter found the boy’s body in the water five minutes after arriving on scene.

Paramedics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him for 40 minutes before he was pronounced deceased.

David Robertson, the headmaster of Shawnigan Lake School, said other students were close by when the tragic incident unfolded.

“It is actually, for me, hard to get my head around the fact that, with 20 or so people in the water all within 10, 12, 15 feet of the dock, nobody would see him go under,” said Robertson.

Shawnigan Lake RCMP spokesman Cpl. Greg Pask said investigators believe the victim was an “average-strength” swimmer.

“He’s in the prime of his life, out with his friends, enjoying a summer moment that everybody else has grown up enjoying, and just because of some unforeseen circumstances, or just an accident, we now find ourselves with this tragedy,” Pask said.

Police said Ottun did not meet with foul play, and there are no signs drugs or alcohol were involved.

Wallington County Grammar School headmaster Jonathan Wilden said Ottun excelled at rugby and other sports and described the teen as a “very generous individual, always looking for the best in people and wanting to help them achieve great things.”

Ottun’s family has been notified and is understandably devastated by his death, according to Wilden.

The school has created an area for remembrance for those who knew Ottun, he said.

Meanwhile, friends in the UK have created a memorial Facebook page to remember the young man.

Wilden said the tour has been cut short and students and staff on the trip will return to the UK shortly.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed Ottun's death Monday, and said his cause of death is undetermined pending autopsy results.