The muralist, Esteban Camacho Steffensen, created an immersive work of art to offer swimmers a chance to submerse themselves in images of marine life and the ancient rhythms of the ocean, where life began. It depicts life-sized, swimming whales, fish, sea turtles and other symbolic marine species, and invites you to swim with them. They are here to inspire us to be a good stewards of both our own bodies, and the natural world, our home.
Esteban’s first YMCA mural also depicted life-sized endangered species of ocean ecosystems at the old YMCA, located next to South Eugene High School, and painted when he was student there. That first mural motivated him to study art and to build a career creating murals that inspire communities to feel the awe and beauty of the natural world and to learn about our ecological role on Earth.
