Terri,
I had fun playing with this, so you don't have to take any of it seriously.
I thought it would be better if his paddle was down, his eyes were open and the background less intense. I also tried to reduce the shadow areas of his face a tad. This was fun like a crossword puzzle. One thing I didn't do, but if I was going to tackle it, I would get rid of the black sandels and give him some lovely bare feet.
Please excuse the rough drawing!