Freediving Photography Getaway. 

May 18th ~ 23rd  2026
Over 5 nights and 6 days,

Investment
Private room ~ $3,500
Twin Share ~ $3,300

~ Every year this has been a sold out trip ~

Join us for an immersive experience designed for Freedivers with an underwater camera set up, created to help you refine your diving, skills and elevate your underwater photography.

Spend five nights in luxury accommodation, with all-inclusive, plant based meals prepared to nourish and energise you throughout the retreat.

This exclusive getaway is open to Freedivers who are passionate about their craft and want to take their imagery to the next level in a breathtaking location.

We invite you to our home and dream destination, Exmouth, amongst the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Reef. Join us as we share our passion for Underwater Photography and Freediving, and give you the tools to create truly captivating imagery.
Spend six days fully immersed in the art of underwater photography. From dive to edit, and everything in between.

Why We Recommend Certified Freedivers

We want our days together to be focused on what we love most, underwater photography. Arriving with some freediving experience allows us to streamline your time in the water and make space for all the creative extras we have planned.

That said, certification isn’t a must. We tailor coaching to each individual’s ability, ensuring you can dive comfortably and safely while refining your technique. This getaway doesn’t include a certification course, but you’ll still gain valuable knowledge to improve your diving and safety skills.

If you’d like to become certified before the retreat, we can recommend trusted schools in Perth, (here with us in Exmouth) , or elsewhere in Australia.

Alternatively, you can join Salty Hearts Freediving in Exmouth for a Freediving Foundation Course the day before the getaway, covering essential theory, breathwork, and pool techniques.

Spaces are very limited, shared with a small group of like-minded ocean lovers. Our ethos is to unite freediving and underwater photography, helping you breathe deeper, dive safer, and shoot like a pro.

Hosted by Aimee Jan — Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021 and Kyra Andrijich, founder of Salty Hearts Freediving.

Aimee, or you may know her as @oceanaimee on Instagram, has spent the last 14 years here in Exmouth dedicating her work and spare time to photography. Not only does her portfolio boast winning perhaps the most prestigious award for UW photographers the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2021.. (she humbly hates me telling people that - Kyra) .. She not only shoots for the Whaleshark and Humpback migrations here on the Ningaloo Reef and hosts trips overseas to swim with Sperm and Blue Whales, Aimee also shoots content creation for brands and is hardly seen without her lens in front of her.  Being a voice for the voiceless, Aimee’s passion is to help protect the reef and wildlife through tourism, education and of course photography. Aimee has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next lot of photographers who can too, spread awareness through art.

Kyra lives and breathes Freediving. Her passion is to spread the knowledge and safety of anything water related. A woman in business, she established Salty Hearts Freediving in 2019 with Aimee by her side as photographer and since then it has been go go go, in the best of ways. She’s mother to her daughter and self proclaimed dive mum of our community. Her ethos is to enrich the wellbeing in people’s lives by connecting back to the breath, nature and the mind/body connection all while freediving safely. Kyra has taught Freediving now for 10 years, is also an Instructor Trainer (meaning she can teach people to become Freedive instructors) Her years of teaching show in how well she communicates and makes everyone feel comfortable along the way. She is a creative who’s passionate in shoots honouring the human body. She has worked as assistant photographer for a well known photographer in Perth (that happens to be her Aunty), and just adores the artistic side of photography.

Learn from the best.

Immerse yourself in a curated series of intimate workshops, from refining technique in the pool at our private accommodation to capturing breathtaking moments on the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Reef.

Throughout the retreat, we’re by your side, guiding you through camera setup, shooting, and post-production, and sharing inspiration over beautifully prepared meals and meaningful conversations.

This is a bespoke experience designed not only to refine your craft but to connect you with a like-minded creative community. One that continues long after the retreat ends (at least that’s what happens with group chats from the previous years).

Workshops include, however not limited to -

Location shoots, access by boat
3 x Boat sessions
Breath hold training specific to Photography
Freediving line session
Underwater Safety workshops
Camera setup
Postproduction
Nailing that Split shot
Shooting Wildlife
Working with UW models
Content shots, working with clients and brands

All to help you build your portfolio or make the best of your hobby.

What you will need -

~An enthusiasm for the ocean
~A camera with an UW housing or underwater camera equivalent (e.g Gopro or UW Phone casing)
~A laptop with editing software.
*lightroom is recommended for best workflow however not a prerequisite
~Spare battery
~SD card
~Hard drive
~Optional
Wide angle lens
35-50mm lens
* if you are quite new to this world, we are happy to chat in the lead up to our time together and help you find the right lens or kit for what you are after *


Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included every day of our trip, the fridge will be loaded with snacks, fruit and delicious things for in-between. You are more than welcome to pop into town to fill the pantry or fridge with anything extra you might like for your time with us.

Our luxury accomodation is one sand dune away from town Beach. It has 7 beds, our own pool and the perfect set up for our workshops and editing area. A few private rooms, and with the shared accomodation (with your own bed each) we have found on these trips you hardly notice as there is so much space around us and we are so occupied with the timetable and workshops we are hardly in the rooms.

We’ve thoughtfully included a spare day at the end of the retreat. (During the arvo and through the night we will continue editing) From our experience, it’s the perfect way to wind down after busy, fulfilling days of diving and photography. If you’re a land-based photographer, you might plan a golden-hour shoot, or take your long lens on a scenic flight. Perhaps you’ll prefer to lounge by the pool, soaking in the serene waters of our private accommodation.

For those seeking adventure, we offer a curated list of optional experiences: swim alongside whale sharks in Exmouth, glide with manta rays in Coral Bay, or enjoy a scenic flight over the reef. The choice is yours to craft your perfect final day.

Some testimonials from our previous Freedive Photography Getaways…

“I came into the course as a complete novice, unfamiliar with my own compact camera, it’s settings and shooting styles. Upon completion, I am now proficient at shooting in manual mode, various settings and how to apply these to different photography scenarios, creative and wildlife UW shoots, workflow, editing, current equipment on the market, drone photography and more.

Thanks to Aimee and Kyra no question was left unanswered and no task was too hard to complete, especially when it came to editing late into the evening. their unparalleled knowledge, care, time and deep interest in my own objectives as a photographer left me with an experience that is not only amazing value for money, but has profoundly shaped my own abilities, ambition and inspiration in UW photography.

This course caters to every level, from beginner to professional photographer. An absolute must for anyone wanting to upskill in this field.”

“When I first did my freediving course with Salty Hearts in 2021 I was doing it to further my skills in underwater photography. So when the retreat came up, there was no question. I was in. I was humbled to discover some photography basics that I didn’t even know existed, and grateful to have the opportunity to have underwater Models to shoot. My focus is wildlife but nature is unpredictable and you can’t ask an animal to “do it again”. You can with a person though. So I did. Several times. And I gained the confidence with adjusting my settings for underwater in full manual mode with the guidance of Aimee. This course not only encouraged me to push the boundaries with my photography, but allowed me the confidence in my freediving breath work. This retreat gave me so much more than I’d ever anticipated, and I hope it does for you too”

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask, or alternatively you can call Kyra on 0490887931

Look forward to hearing back from you and thank you once more for your interest.

Warmest,
Aimee and Kyra.