PADI Tec 40 Course
PADI Tec 40 Course in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia & Delaware
PADI Tec 40 is where you transition from recreational diving into technical diving. It’s the bridge between no-stop diving and limited decompression diving — and it’s where fundamentals become non-negotiable: buoyancy, trim, awareness, planning, and equipment discipline.
Southern Maryland Divers trains Tec 40 candidates from across the Mid-Atlantic with a focus on control and procedure, not shortcuts. This course is the first subdivision of the PADI Tec Deep progression and includes the first four dives.
Training Location: 23950 N. Patuxent Beach Rd, California, MD 20619 | Phone: (443) 295-3225 | Web: www.SoMdDivers.com
Availability: Contact us for booking information
What You’ll Learn in Tec 40
Tec 40 introduces the planning and procedures that make technical diving safe and repeatable. You’ll build a foundation for deeper decompression training while keeping the scope limited and controlled.
- Technical dive planning fundamentals and task loading management
- Equipment configuration and pre-dive checks for consistency and safety
- Buoyancy, trim, and propulsion skills suitable for technical environments
- Basic decompression concepts and how to dive conservatively
- Team procedures, communication, and emergency awareness
Is Tec 40 Right for You?
This course is for divers who want to train with discipline and build real technical fundamentals. It’s a good fit if you:
- Have strong buoyancy control and can hold stable stops without sculling
- Are comfortable with task loading and want more structured dive planning
- Are interested in wreck, deeper diving, or technical progression
- Prefer conservative training that prioritizes control and repeatability
If your buoyancy and trim still feel “in progress,” take Peak Performance Buoyancy first — it will make Tec 40 dramatically easier and safer.
Technical Training for Mid-Atlantic Conditions
Mid-Atlantic diving often means cold water, reduced visibility, currents, and variable surface conditions. These realities increase task loading — which is exactly why Tec 40 fundamentals matter.
Training here builds divers who can execute procedures calmly when conditions aren’t perfect. That competence transfers to wreck charters, deeper dives, and technical progressions anywhere.
What Comes After Tec 40?
Tec 40 is the foundation. Many divers continue into deeper decompression training and configuration specialties:
Tec 40 FAQs
Is Tec 40 a technical certification?
Tec 40 is the first step into technical diving and introduces limited decompression concepts and procedures in a structured, supervised progression.
Do I need special equipment?
Yes — technical training requires specific configuration and redundancy. Your instructor will review required and recommended gear prior to training so you show up prepared and consistent.
Should I take buoyancy training first?
If buoyancy and trim aren’t stable and automatic, take Peak Performance Buoyancy first. Tec 40 gets dramatically easier when fundamentals are already strong.