michelles:Alot of instructors have gone straight from DM class to the Idc. To say that you need to do a bunch of dives in different locations is a great idea but not so easy for some of us with low funds. Those of you who are in the training side know what I'm talking about. I think being an intern where you do 200 plus dives between DM and the IDC is alot more then most of us have had. I think it will be a great experience and hard work but worth it. And you will be ahead of alot of other new instructors with the experience you get there. Good luck!
Yes, you can go "straight from DM to the IDC"; that doesn't preclude you from having many dives in a variety of conditions. It's not a race to see who get the requisite number of dives in the shortest amount of time to qualify for DM & Instructor. It's about the learning process itself where you gain the right knowledge and experience to be a good dive educator.
And why people think that only the dives you get between DM and Instructor "count" is beyond me. It's your TOTAL dive experience we look at when you decide to become a DM or enroll in the IDC, not just the ones you've gotten recently.
FYI, I have been "in the training side" for many years.
Pax,