PADI Tec 40 is a course which enables you to start the transition from scuba diving for fun to technical deep compression diving allowing you past your normal recreational limits.
The certification will allow you to dive up to 40m and stay there for longer periods while doing limited decompression stops.
The general term ‘technical diving’ means that you cannot rise to the surface at any moment like you can with normal recreational scuba diving as it is necessary to make decompression stops during your ascent to avoid decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends.
Why would you want to take this course?
After you have been diving for a while, you may become bored with recreational fun dives and want to explore previously inaccessible dive sites such as inside a wreck or a cave, while allowing you to dive deeper and for longer.
Also, you may be aspiring to become a full technical diver at some point and this course is also the prerequisite to continue with PADI Tec 45 which allows you to do unlimited decompression time and the next step after that will be PADI Tec 50 that enhances the allowable depth to 50m.
Even if you don’t intend on doing a huge amount of tec diving, you will learn new planning skills and equipment management which will also make you a better and safer recreational diver.
What are the requirements for the PADI Tec 40 course?
You must be at least 18 years old and have already completed the PADI Open Water Course with at least 30 logged dives and 10 of those must have been to 30 meters or below.
You may also need to have a medical certificate signed by your doctor within the last year to be able to take the course.
What will you do during the course?
There are three classroom sessions on this course and four dive training sessions.
You will learn about the risks and responsibilities of technical diving, setting up the equipment for technical diving, gas planning, oxygen planning, and decompression planning.
In addition to this, you will also learn about diving as a team and potential situations which can occur including manifold leaks and out of gas situations.
What you will be able to do after the course
Use decompression software and dive computers to plan and make decompression dives with no more than 10 minutes of total decompression and not deeper than 40 metres/130 feet.
Use a single cylinder of decompression gas with up to 50 percent oxygen.
Although technical diving is not for everyone, don’t let that put you off from taking this course.
No matter how good a diver you think you are, the Tec 40 certification gives you that bit extra to really call yourself a skilled and experienced diver.
It takes commitment to achieve the levels required but it is also a lot of fun.
