Countercurrent is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit started by marine scientist, Ethan Estess. Countercurrent fosters ocean stewardship through science-based public art exhibitions and youth workshops. Through public art installations and workshops, Countercurrent is able to educate and reach a broad range of citizens on important ocean sustainability topics. Several artists are a part of the program including: Arianna Deane, Ian Montgomery, Kyle Johnson, Lake Buckley, and more.

Estess grew up surfing on the sandy shores of Santa Cruz, CA and developed a love for the ocean and building. Estess’s passion for the ocean lead him to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s in interdisciplinary environmental science programs at Stanford in 2012. While at Stanford, Estess also dived into his creative side and began creating sculptures and art pieces. One of the key materials used in his artwork is trash collected from the ocean and beaches. We asked Ethan about Countercurrent and his art. See the interview here:

Can you tell us more about your background?

I studied environmental science in a bachelor and masters program at Stanford but took art and mechanical engineering classes on the side. I worked for the Monterey Bay Aquarium for several years studying tuna and shark ecology and conservation before setting off on my path as an artist in 2016.

What’s the story behind Countercurrent?

Countercurrent is an educational nonprofit that leverages the power of public art to inspire stewardship of the marine environment.

I used to work as a scientist studying tuna conservation, but every time I published a study I felt demoralized because my research would just reach a tiny audience of experts instead of informing the broader public or inspiring ocean stewardship. Additionally, the reality of working as a full-time artist these days means that I have to focus on projects that have some commercial value in order to make a living. I started Countercurrent because it enabled me to communicate scientific information to a broader audience and focus on large projects that are purely educational in nature.

How many people have seen Countercurrent's exhibitions?

Countercurrent’s interactive marine debris wave sculptures have been viewed by tens of millions of online viewers and nearly a hundred thousand in-person participants.

On the Marine Debris Golf Ball Sculpture

What’s the story behind this piece? How did the collab come to be?

I received an email back in 2019 from then teenager Alex Weber asking if I wanted to make an educational sculpture out of the 50,000 golf balls she had in her parents garage… she’d collected them out of the water, one at a time, near her home in Carmel. I knew it was going to be insanely complicated but Alex’s story was so awesome I agreed to give it a shot with Counterrent.

Why golf balls?

Local teenager (now soon-to-be UCSC grad), Alex Weber collected these golf balls out of the water off Pebble Beach by free diving for each one with her friends and family. Golf balls are made of layers of plastic, proprietary rubbers, and chemical additives that have been shown to be toxic in aquatic environments. The golf balls roll around on the sea floor with wave energy, eroding into countless microplastic particles that may be accumulating in the local food web.

Where were the golf balls collected from?

The balls were collected in 2-30ft of water off the various coastal golf courses along Carmel and pebble beach. These waters are protected by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and it is illegal to discard plastic into this sensitive habitat.

Who collected the golf balls and how long did it take?

Alex Weber and her family and friends collected the golf balls from around 2016-2019 and proceeded to work with a researcher at Stanford to document the scale of the issue and describe the way that plastic golf balls degrade in the marine environment. Their publication motivated the Pebble Beach Company to hire a diver to perform regular underwater cleanups and to report their efforts to the national marine sanctuary office for review. It is estimated that 2-5million golf balls remain in the water off Carmel coastline.

Can you share more about how you came up with this idea?

Like many plastics that enter the ocean, golf balls sink and are therefore out of sight and out of mind despite the fact that they continue to be an ongoing point source for toxic micro plastic pollution. My idea was, “If golf balls floated, everybody would know about this problem because the shore break at Carmel beach (where I love to surf) would be full of them.” Many of the golf balls are tan because they lost their outer layers of plastic by rolling around on the sea floor, and I used these tan balls to create contrast on the face of a large barreling wave- as if it were a dredging tube sucking up sand. By making it huge and interactive people can visualize the scale of the issue and become immersed in it- hopefully this leads to some critical thought about this issue and the realization that each of plays a part in solving the plastic pollution issue.

How did you create this piece?

It turns out that 20,000 golf balls is pretty heavy—about 3,000lbs to be exact—so I ended up welding a steel structure to handle the weight of the golf balls and I mounted everything on a heavy duty trailer so I could transport the sculpture to events. I worked with three UCSC students to drill holes in all of the balls and we strung them up on stainless steel rods in a pre-designated pattern to create the “foamy” look of the wave face. I attached the strands of balls to the steel frame with 13,000 screws!

You can check out the sculpture at Blue Innovation 2022!

Interested in learning more about ocean and water issues and connecting with advocates?

BLUE INNOVATION 2022

The 5th Annual Blue Innovation, previously known as Blue Tech, has been expanded to a 3-day event in September. A large delegation from Biarritz, France (Santa Cruz’s Sister City) will join us for a series of exhibitions, workshops, and a competition. Over 3,000 attendees will join this outdoor event at the beautiful Seymour Marine Discovery Center (see Google Earth). Food trucks, bands, and speakers will regale us.

EXHIBITORS WANTED! Please fill out this form if you are interested in being an exhibitor.