Courtesy of WOWSA, The Olympic Club, San Francisco, California.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking, wrote, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
That quote sounds like what 36-year-old Cameron Bellamy has been doing most of his life from his native South Africa to California where he now resides, works, trains, and plans for his many dryland and oceanic adventures.
Whether Bellamy has been on a rowing boat across the Indian Ocean, on a bicycle along the Silk Road or across the UK from south to north, in a corporate office in Silicon Valley, or in the open water around the world, he has found adventure and success.
In June 2018, Bellamy became the first South African and the 11th person in history to complete the Oceans Seven with his 11 hour 7 minute crossing of the Tsugaru Channel on his second attempt.
After a DNF across the Tsugaru Channel in 2017, the South African came back and did a solid swim brilliantly cutting across the Tsugaru Current on his swim from Kodomari on Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan.
As he approached the opposite shore of Hokkaido, he kept up a consistent pace in the 15°C water and the expectant eddies did not push he away from shore.
With his success in northern Japan, Bellamy became the 11th person in history to achieve the Oceans Seven after Stephen Redmond (Ireland), Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden), Michelle Macy (USA), Darren Miller (USA), Adam Walker (UK), Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand), Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Moldavia/Ireland), Rohan Dattatrey More, and Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic).
Bellamy’s Oceans Seven record of success is as follows:
* July 2012: English Channel from England to France in 16 hours 29 minutes.
* April 2015: Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 1 minute.
* November 2015: Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 11 hours 53 minutes.
* July 2016: North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 22 minutes.
* February 2017: Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 17 hours 1 minute.
* March 2017: Cook Strait in a tandem swim with Steve Walker, finishing in 12 hours 44 minutes.
* October 2017: Tsugaru Channel attempt in a tandem swim with Steve Walker.
* June 2018: Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in Japan in 11 hours 7 minutes.
Bellamy recalled after returning home, “It is slowly starting to sink in that my six-year Oceans Seven adventure has come to an end. It’s been an awesome journey, topped off with a Tsugaru Channel crossing that was equal parts challenging and fun.
I got to thank my main supporter, my mom, Janita Bellamy, who was there for all my hardest swims. Think I helped age her a bit although, she’s doing alright.
Japan is one helluva place. My crack hot support team of Ian Milne and Jen Loong and I have traversed much of northern Japan since the swim.”
After his achievement of the Oceans Seven, Bellamy attempted a 96 km circumnavigation swim around Barbados (Swim Around Barbados). He did not finish, albeit he swam for over 27 hours and 66 km, but he vowed to return and has landed among the stars of the sport.
On November 9th – 11th, he will join two other Oceans Seven swimmers – Kimberley Chambers of New Zealand and Antonio Argüelles of Mexico – and two others who are very close (within 1 channel) to achieving the Oceans Seven – Pat Gallant-Charette of the USA and Adrian Sarchet of Guernsey – at the WOWSA Talks & WOWSA Awards at The Olympic Club in San Francisco on November 10th.
To listen to Bellamy and 24 others speakers from 12 countries at the WOWSA Talks & WOWSA Awards, register here.
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