Yes, wife and DM friends are of with that. We dived several times at 40 meters together before during training and regular dives. Staying a couple of minutes at 40 minutes at a beginning of a dive with a 12l tank with 200 bars is not a problem. When I do that, I am never out of sight though. They are above me. I see them and they see me.
I find this very confusing. You were quite upset on a recent dive because of an overhead but going to 40m on the regular doesn't bother you at all. Smh