Underwater Photography Training Internship Program

2020 PROGRAMS SUSPENDED

For the benefit of clarity and to allow planning for all parties involved, Africa Media Academy has made the difficult decision to suspended all experiential training programs in South Africa and Mozambique for 2020 due to Covid-19 and subsequent travel bans. We will continue to engage students on how to join our programs next year.

Learn vital skills for shooting under the waves. A hand-selected team personally trained by renowned Underwater photographer Fiona Ayerst will guide you through these essentials. Come to tropical Mozambique or adventurous Durban.

Acquire the knowledge and practical skills required to master the art of Underwater Photography and videography while exploring the incredible diversity of the stunning coral reefs of the warm Indian Ocean. The Underwater Photography internship program uses dSLR cameras in Sea&Sea housings; DSLR and panasonic video and GoPros together with exceptional LED lighting and accessories.

Developed by internationally acclaimed underwater photographer, journalist and conservationist Fiona Ayerst, this course will empower students to see and explore the underwater realm in a totally new and intimate manner. We focus on becoming part of the marine world; using specialised breathing techniques and capitalising on the natural curiosity of the marine inhabitants. Fiona’s team will teach you how to capture the perfectly exposed and composed images and film. Creativity and new techniques are key.

Flexi-booking

Africa Media Academy is now offering ‘flexi-booking’ to all students and participants on our programs. Learn about ‘flexi-booking’ here:

Flexi-booking

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PROGRAM FEE

$3100/month

Professional DSLR photo kit

Program tuition

20 Dive package

Dorm accommodation

Full meals

Local transport

Internet

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Quick Info

Student portfolios

View all the videos, photographs, and stories of our alumni on the underwater photography program – VIEW PORTFOLIOS HERE

Program dates

1 – 30 May (South Africa)
1 – 30 June (South Africa)
1 – 30 July (South Africa)
1 – 30 August (South Africa)
1 – 30 Sep (South Africa)
1 -30 Oct (Mozambique)
1 – 30 Nov (Mozambique)

Program syllabus

The program is structured around a 20 dive SCUBA package. the full syllabus can be viewed here – VIEW PROGRAM SYLLABUS

Program FAQ's

We have answered all the most common questions that student interns have here on the programs FAQ page. VIEW FAQ PAGE

Alumni Reviews

Independently verified reviews by Goabroad meaningful travel

Rating of Average of 9.5 on a total of 10 Ratings

Felicia Sutjahjo

December 12, 2019

The underwater photography internship is amazing!

Fiona is very knowledgeable, professional and has the patience of an angel. She genuinely wants you to excel as a student and takes your personal level and goals into consideration. I came as an amateur photographer and an amateur diver and can confidently say that I left better at both crafts. We were a group of 6 and Fiona observed and evaluated everyone individually, giving each of us personal assignments and advice. The program is well thought out and(...)

has a good balance between theory and practice. The first week covers the theory of photography with several fun assignments to put the theory to practice on land. After that some time in the pool with some toy animals! The first few dives are focused on macro photography and after that we moved on to wide angle, both with several assignments. The dives concluded with crit sessions to discuss the photos and what we learned from them. Aside from the general assignments, everybody got individual challenges based on what they can improve on. I was worried about accidentally destroying part of the reef or smushing small animals so my challenge was to get closer. I got good advice, many great tips, lots of practice and by the end I was poking my head into crevices and becoming part of schools of fish! Feeling more comfortable as a diver, I could concentrate more on composition and the story behind my photography and I loved those dives the most. We also learned a little bit about free diving which was a really cool experience. It has a completely different feel than scuba diving and I am definitely looking forward to doing more free diving in the future. Aside from diving and photography, Fiona touches on the business aspects of the trade and discussed several options to make underwater photography a profession. I honestly cannot praise this internship enough and could write a book about my experiences in these four weeks, but let's move on to other aspects of the organisation 🙂

I registered for the internship last minute-ish but received very quick responses from the organisation and had all of the information I needed before I left. The information provided is clear and any questions were answered promptly and adequately. Transport from and to the airport is included so as long as you provide your travel details you don't need to be worried about getting lost in the middle of nowhere.

The accommodation was great, we had the house to ourselves with all of the amenities you need. There are shared dorms available with two bathrooms and for a little extra you can opt for a private room with an en-suite bathroom. There is a fully equipped kitchen so you can always make your own coffee, tea, hot chocolate or the odd banana pancakes when you feel like something else for breakfast! Plenty of space in the fridge to store anything that needs to stay cooled. You don't need to do any cleaning or washing up and the lovely staff members will even open up a coconut for you! At a small additional cost you can even have your laundry done.

The internship includes full-board so no need to worry about meals. The staff at The Safety Stop was very flexible and accommodated my vegan lifestyle with loads of fruit (I miss the mangoes so much!), veg, grains and the occasional home made spring rolls. When I indicated I'm not a huge fan of french fries, they happily served rice instead. Portions are more than adequate so you will not go hungry here!

The dive centre is lovely and everyone is very friendly. The owners and dive masters/instructors are very passionate about the ocean and are excited to find and show you all of the cool animals that live there. Every dive is briefed well and tweaked to fit the goals in terms of photography. The skippers are amazing and know how to handle your camera gear. There is a high level of involvement and interest and everyone is excited to see your photographs.

If you want to improve your skills as an underwater photographer or you are a complete newb like me and want to see if this is your cup of tea, join this internship! You will not regret it!

Huge thank you to everyone at Africa Media Academy and Guinjata Dive Centre, I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was EPIC!!
Felicia

Kyra Kalageorgi

May 15, 2019

scuba diving isn’t just a sport– it’s a lifestyle

I’ve realized that every time I travel to an unfamiliar location, my perspective of the world warps and changes. Africa, the Underwater Photography Internship led by Fiona Ayerst with the help of Shalini Tewari and Martin Totland, all of the people I’ve encountered on this internship, and just scuba diving in general has changed every previous plan I had lined up in my life. I soon began to realize that scuba diving isn’t just a sport– it’s a lifestyle. Follow my Blog and see my new life!

Miguel Mercado

May 14, 2019

Underwater photography adventures

Hi, I took my UWP course in Mozambique, the experience is amazing. Theres so much to learn and so much biodiversity to see, that one month is not enough to enjoy that beautiful country. The UWP internship is ok for entry level UW Photographers or more advanced ones. Fi and her staff are the best teaching UWP. Guinjata's Dive Centre is the best Dive operator in Mozambique, all the staff are the best for making sure you have a great time on land and(...)

Rachel Price

May 14, 2019

It was a great experience

My month spent in Mozambique was truly one of the best of my life.

The program was well organised and structured, building from foundational skills to more advanced techniques as the weeks went by. I felt completely supported in my learning - I joined the program with no underwater photography experience, but quickly developed a deep passion, and I felt confident and skilled to take this forward at the completion of the course. The support to alumnis(...)

Jack Austin

August 5, 2018

An experience of a lifetime

Having the opportunity to spend a month in Mozambique, learning the art of Underwater Photography, was well and truly one of the most inspiring experiences I've ever had. Mentored from Fiona Ayerst, a world-renowned underwater photographer, I managed to cultivate the skills and understanding of Underwater Photography in a friendly and positive environment. The course is set in Guinjata Bay, a remote bay near the town of Inhambane, providing the perfect setting to really live and breathe the course. You'll wake up to the sounds of the ocean, spend all day in the ocean and then spend the night watching it; there's really not an experience like it and you'll find a place that at first, felt strange and surreal, becomes like home very quickly. Everything was very well organised, right from the communication prior to the trip, to the daily activities and schedule, to even now being supported as an alumni of the course. I learnt a lot about myself during this experience and there was so so many things I didn't get right or felt I wasn't great at. However, the support throughout your learning here is incomparable and through getting out there day after day, you will soon find you're making some amazing progress from when you first started. The honest truth is, I started the course with 6 open water dives (4 of them were in my OW course). Since completing this underwater photography internship, I then went on to become an Open Water Instructor, working in the dive industry in several dive destinations around the globe and now work as a professional underwater photographer. I put this all down to the experience, learning and teaching that I had in Mozambique. I highly recommend this course for those with either a passion for marine life or photography. Using myself as an example, you don't have to have a tonne of dives to partake on this course, you will quickly develop those skills too except it will be way better as you'll have a full underwater camera set-up in your hands. No question, I would love to go back and do it all again!

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