CUunderH2O:Never assume... you know the saying. Afraid of getting lost, ROFLMAO!!! You are too funny!! I may not have 3000 dives, but I've been on enough dives without DMs to figure things out. Navigation skills, anyone?
I just don't like DMs that 'herd' people around without showing them anything good. With one of those types, there's no point in having one around.
I just find that on many DM-led dives you get a big 'blob' of divers glued to the DM, and I don't really like hanging around in that kind of crowd. You tend to get kicked by divers who have crappy buoyancy skills in that kind of setting. Hence the drop behind and enjoy the show attitude...
I'm with ya! I'm definately a back-of-the-pack diver, too. Yes, I may miss some of the things a good DM will find but it's made me learn how to find them myself! I'd much rather miss a few things than get beat up in the melee of fins. I like to stay far enough behind that everything that got scared by the crowd ventures out again! Besides, once you learn the type of habitat the critters like, you'll start finding them yourself. And any good DM will tell you what to look for.