Years ago, I filmed a little video of myself floating in a balance brace, completely relaxed… eating a granola bar.

Paddlers kept bringing it up. For them, it captured something important about what I teach: that sea kayaking doesn’t have to be a fight. When you wear the kayak, trust the paddle, and let the water support you, you can be so at home on the sea that you could literally snack there.

So now it’s a tradition. At each retreat, when someone reaches that level of ease, they’re invited to take the Eat a Granola Bar with Paulo challenge. If they succeed, they earn a spot in this Hall of Fame.