KW -- please accept my apology for the following being (perhaps) negative. A year ago I had a student, who sounds much like you, tell me how he was looking forward to becoming a DM and working for the shop with which I was associated. I told him, Slow Down, dive, get some real experience outside of classes and THEN do the DM. He is just about finished with his DM now.
I was on a boat with him a few weeks ago and he took me aside to tell me how right I was and that he wished he had followed my advice and NOT done the DM. He was just beginning to understand how much he didn't know now that he had 2 (or 3?) times as many dives under his belt.
IF your dive count is correct, then I'd guess at least half your dives have been class dives. That just doesn't give your enough experience in independent diving -- and the essence of being a DM is to be a truly independent diver. I'd also guess you haven't had many charters in Puget Sound which will teach you a lot about the various dive sites -- AND about tides, currents, visibility -- not to mention the critters and everything else a PUGET SOUND diver needs to know to be helpful, and quite frankly protective, of his charges.
In my mind, and my experience, is that a PUGET SOUND DM needs a lot more experience than the minimum for starting the DM program.
Please take this for what it is worth -- and perhaps worth exactly how much you paid for it.
Good luck.
I was on a boat with him a few weeks ago and he took me aside to tell me how right I was and that he wished he had followed my advice and NOT done the DM. He was just beginning to understand how much he didn't know now that he had 2 (or 3?) times as many dives under his belt.
IF your dive count is correct, then I'd guess at least half your dives have been class dives. That just doesn't give your enough experience in independent diving -- and the essence of being a DM is to be a truly independent diver. I'd also guess you haven't had many charters in Puget Sound which will teach you a lot about the various dive sites -- AND about tides, currents, visibility -- not to mention the critters and everything else a PUGET SOUND diver needs to know to be helpful, and quite frankly protective, of his charges.
In my mind, and my experience, is that a PUGET SOUND DM needs a lot more experience than the minimum for starting the DM program.
Please take this for what it is worth -- and perhaps worth exactly how much you paid for it.
Good luck.