Shark Specialist Program

Students and enthusiasts are welcomed onto this internationally acclaimed shark specialty program. Join our dedicated team and develop skills in shark diving, research, conservation and education.

Shark Specialist Program

Participants learn snorkeling, diving and scientific techniques to collect data that is vital to the management of some of the world’s vulnerable shark species.

As a team member at the Shark Research Unit, you will be the driving force in our education and conservation programs, as well as ensuring the ongoing success of our dedicated shark and ecosystem level research programs. In addition to shark diving and snorkeling with up to five species of sharks, participants will be working in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area, one of South Africa’s most pristine and important marine biodiversity hotspots.

The Shark Research Unit is a division of the renowned shark diving and adventure company Blue Wilderness. The Shark Research Unit was set up as a distinct division with a core mission of contributing to the health of the marine ecosystems in general and sharks in particular. The unit houses a small but dedicated team consisting of biologists, conservationists and educators.

Daily operations are centered around a dynamic set of short and long term special projects. Each aimed to produce tangible benefits for the Southern African marine ecosystems. Participants who join the research unit will become vital members of the team and drive these daily projects.

Pre-requisites

The second two weeks of each month involves SCUBA based research dives. To participate in these dives, participants must be open-water SCUBA certified. We recommend that non-certified participants gain certification during the initial two weeks of the program. Book your certification course here

Flexi-booking special

Africa Media is offering a ‘Flexi-booking’ special during the challenges of Covid-19. When booking with Flexi-booking, you are able to secure your spot and only choose which month you will attend when you are comfortable you can travel safely and securely.

Program Fees

from

$1500

Price Check

Includes

14 or 28 day program

Shark Research Expeditions

School Outreach Visits

Conservation Projects

Accommodation

Meals

Internet

Local travel

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Alumni Reviews

Independently verified reviews by Goabroad meaningful travel

Rating of Average of 9.45 on a total of 11 Ratings

Lilly Priest

August 30, 2022

Taking underwater photography has been amazing

It has been the best month learning about underwater photography I have never done anything like this before over the month taking underwater photography has been amazing and I have truly loved it(...)

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(...)

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(...)

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(...)

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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FAQ'S

Find everything you need to know about our underwater videography training internship program is here in the FAQ’s

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SYLLABUS

Discover the underwater adventures and expert tuition that our underwater videography training program includes.

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PORTFOLIOS

View the video portfolios, sequences and documentaries of our past underwater videography students

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PLATFORMS

The shark speciality program runs from Scottburgh, RSA with diving on the renowned Aliwal Shoal.

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AFRICA MEDIA

Africa Media is a premier supplier of production services, experiential media training programs and interactive edu-tourism expeditions throughout Southern Africa.

Our mission is to build an enthusiastic generation of wildlife and environmental specialists who have the skills and passion to build successful careers or make significant contributions in the wildlife and environmental media industry.