Cameron Bellamy

Cameron Bellamy is a South African endurance swimmer whose English Channel crossing became the opening stage of a six-year Oceans Seven journey. He grew up in Cape Town and founded the Ubunye Challenge in 2011. The charity connects endurance challenges with educational projects, particularly early childhood education in rural South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The CS&PF successful-swims register lists his 2012 Channel solo in 16 hours 29 minutes 10 seconds, escorted by Paul Foreman aboard Pace Arrow. It dates the performance 4 July, while a later career summary gives 5 July; those accounts are retained without assuming that they describe different phases of the swim. Bellamy subsequently completed the Catalina Channel and Strait of Gibraltar in 2015, the North Channel in 2016 and the Kaiwi Channel in 2017. The Cook and Tsugaru crossings completed his Oceans Seven in 2018.

That year he returned to Barbados after an unsuccessful attempt and completed a swim around the island in November. A Barbados-to-Saint Lucia swim followed in 2019, extending his endurance career beyond the standard channel challenges. His adventures also include ocean rowing, notably the December 2019 Drake Passage expedition. The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame recognises him in its Class of 2020.