Raised in South Florida, Thomas E. Clark “Tec” became proficient at skin and scuba diving at an early age. At the age of twelve Tec made his first scuba dive and soon thereafter became a certified diver and immediately pursued advanced ratings. While attending college the University of Florida, Tec became a scuba instructor for the University of Florida Academic Diving Program (UFADP). He went on to become Managing Director of the UFADP and was integral for growing it to be the nation’s largest university dive training program with over 1,200 students per year.
Subsequently, Tec received a Bachelor of Science in Recreation from the University of Florida, with an emphasis in Leisure Services Management. After college, Tec completed an internship with the YMCA Scuba Program and went on to become the National Director for the YMCA of the USA Scuba Program two years later. During his tenure at the YMCA Scuba Program, Tec was responsible for dramatic increases in skin and scuba diving participation among YMCA’s nationally.
Tec holds professional credentials with multiple diving organizations such as PADI, NAUI, YMCA, CMAS, DAN and DRI. He has been a volunteer public safety diver for the Broward County (FL) Sheriff’s Office, and has also been a forensic dive accident investigator with Dive and Marine Consultants International. Tec’s passion for breath-hold diving grew until he and freediving champion Mehgan Heaney-Grier founded the first United States Freediving Team. Tec has been a freediving competitor, judge, captain of the US Freediving Team, and a Board Member of the United States Apnea Association.
In 2004 Tec founded ScubaGuru.com, a resource website for scuba divers. Two years later he became Vice President of Program Development for Pro Dive International, the nation’s largest PADI scuba instructor development school. Months later Tec became Chief Operating Officer for Pro Dive overseeing training, retail and charter operations.
Tec specializes in scuba instructor training and development, college and university dive training (academic diving), and in the sport of freediving. Tec has appeared as a diving expert on A&E, The Discovery Channel, and The Outdoor Life Network. Tec has co-edited several diving texts, and he has authored numerous articles for Skin Diver Magazine. He has appeared in the YMCA of the USA Swim Lessons and Lifeguard training videos, and is a speaker and presenter at numerous diving industry conventions and trade shows.
Being transformed into a true believer in the Spring of 2007, Tec recognized the many blessings God had bestowed upon him in his life. Of those blessings was a prosperous 20-year career in the scuba diving industry. Regarded as a highly credentialed and acclaimed underwater educator, Tec knew it was those gifts he would give back to God. Tec felt called upon to create a ministry that interprets God's underwater world from a scriptural perspective. That scriptural perspective of educating others, both Christian and secular, brings tenets of creationism, environmental stewardship and Christian discipleship to the forefront of Reef Ministries. Currently, Tec is Director of Reef Ministries, Distinguished Faculty of Pro Dive International, a Masters of Divinity student at Knox Theological Seminary, and a loving husband and father.
Raised in South Florida, Thomas E. Clark “Tec” became proficient at skin and scuba diving at an early age. At the age of twelve Tec made his first scuba dive and soon thereafter became a certified diver and immediately pursued advanced ratings. While attending college the University of Florida, Tec became a scuba instructor for the University of Florida Academic Diving Program (UFADP). He went on to become Managing Director of the UFADP and was integral for growing it to be the nation’s largest university dive training program with over 1,200 students per year.