A 26-year-old Korean tourist has drowned in a man-made lake in an old mine in Western Australia.

The man disappeared while swimming with friends about 7pm (WDT) yesterday at Black Diamond lake near Collie in WA's south-west, police spokesman Ian Hasleby said.

"He got into difficulty with a leg cramp and couldn't be assisted by his friends," Mr Hasleby said.

A team of four water police divers recovered the body from the popular swimming hole early today.

The man is understood to have been on a working holiday in Australia.

One of his cousins was expected to identify the body today.