"Super Hero": Amber Rose Berry Raises R100k and Makes History Swimming the English Channel

• Amber Rose Berry from Pringle Bay completed the English Channel crossing at just 18 years old
• The teen battled strong currents, jellyfish stings and a ship's wake during her 33km swim
• Berry's historic crossing also raised thousands of rands for disadvantaged students in the Eastern Cape

Amber Rose Berry, an 18-year-old swimmer from Pringle Bay, has made South African sporting history. She became the youngest South African woman to swim across the English Channel.

Berry completed the 33-kilometre crossing from England to France on 25 August 2026, finishing in an unofficial time of 10 hours and 27 minutes. The achievement drew widespread admiration across social media, with many calling her a superhero.

The swim was far from straightforward. Berry reportedly battled strong underwater currents, painful jellyfish stings, and the turbulent wake caused by a large passing ship. She pushed through it all to reach the French coastline.

This is not Berry's first brush with open-water history. At just 16, she became the youngest person to complete the False Bay crossing, signalling early that she was a swimmer of rare ability and determination.

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Her English Channel swim also carried a purpose beyond personal achievement, according to the post by Newsroomza. The crossing raised R100 000 for a programme that supports disadvantaged student athletes in the Eastern Cape, turning her record into something that reaches far beyond the water. Watch the full video report below:

Mzansi celebrates teen swimmer

South Africans were quick to pour out their pride in the comments:

@justin.berry.7777 wrote:

"Well done my beautiful daughter. I'm so proud of your achievements."

@_kate.kale said:

"Amazing Rosie!!!! 💪💪"

@madretheron shared:

"So so proud of this amazing young girl, Amber Rose, you are a super hero."

@morne_claassen added:

"Amazingly done!!!!"

@hanrattydian commented:

"What an amazing achievement."

@luciamurray said:

"🔥🔥🔥 Congrats 🙌"

Other Briefly News stories about raising money

• Jayson Vanporppal, an American skateboarder who skated from Uganda to South Africa to raise funds for a skatepark in Kampala, achieved success.
• South Africans had a remarkable response to Warrant Officer Karl Sander's testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, and raised R500,000.
• A South African AI startup, Verascient, recently secured a $1.2 million pre-seed funding round from prestigious investors including those behind Uber and Airtable.

Source: Briefly News