Sensational Seas Two DVD: Contributor, Peter Schalkwijk

Sand tilefish excavate homes in sand plains near reefs and build rubble mounds over them for shelter. These structured habitats become, in a sense, small underwater “cities”, attracting other organisms, including juvenile fish and small invertebrates, because they provide shelter and feeding sites in areas that are often barren otherwise. Scientific studies have found at least 32 different species of juvenile fish living in the tilefish mounds. Peter and Jessie Schalkwijk spent a month in Bonaire, entertained by this busy sand tilefish working on his new digs.

Mexican of Dutch extraction, Peter Schalkwijk alternates between a formal career in architecture and working as a naturalist guide. His love of the ocean led him to become a divemaster and scuba instructor and he has worked in the Sea of Cortez since 1999, guiding dive trips and filming underwater video. Peter believes, “Every time you dive, there is something that will blow you away, you just have to be lucky enough to be looking the right way at the right time”. He focuses his work on the sea’s beauty and on documenting the exotic marine creatures that inhabit two-thirds of our planet.

Major funding for Sensational Sea Two DVD was provided by the Carrow Foundation.