I have seen people in all sorts of tropical locations practice ooa drills. Not nearly as many as should, but anecdotally, it happens on occasion.
I've also seen significantly more air 2 users constantly use their air 2s throughout every single dive, giving very ingrained memory as to where it is when needed.
Almost as many as octopuses that I've seen dangling in the wind and dragging through the sand with a clueless diver as to there location.
Okay I'm finally going to step in here.
I can absolutely assure you that the vast majority of Rec divers (my sample from Teaching Tec is limited) have very poor skills
On each Continued Ed course all the way to DM, as well as specialities I review the main core skills on dive 1. These are briefed, and dry practiced before hitting the water
I'm nor looking for perfection nor demonstration quality, just competency. Mask skills tend to be passable - i.e. they get the job done but need refining. Reg remove and replace, not so much but OOA is generally a complete CF
Let me reinforce this. Despite briefing, dry practicing the skill, OOA is a disaster! Remember these skills are done during the dive (while swimming not stationary on knees) and with low stress they are appaling, often like rabbits in headlights
Often I know and respect the Instructor that has previously taught these divers, and know they they would have been drilled to mastery. Divers complete skills in training and don't bother to practice. Look how many post cert don't even bother with proper pre dive checks despite it being taught and complete before each training dive.
You would think, those that change their equipment configurations to Air 2 or L/H, because they've go ain interest their equipment would be up to speed. I assure you this isn't true for the most part.
When I took my DM course and had to get my skills to Demo quality - and I'll be honest and say a lot of my skills were only just about adequate at that point - because - 500 dives and complacency, I would spend many hours wandering the house muttering to myself with my hands seemingly randomly moving as I ran through each skill and critical movement in my head.
Much to my wife's amusement.
It's not difficult for any diver to dry practice their skills, it needs no gear yet ingrains all the steps in your mind
I still review regularly each of my skills, especially prior to teaching OW/DM to ensure I'm still current.
The issues I've pointed out, have all been shown under training when they would be expected. Imagine the CF when it happens IRL, when the problem comes out of the blue, where most divers task loading limit is basic buoyancy and breathing.
If you want further evidence of diver's unwillingness to practice or even be assessed, search for SB threads on Check dives and look at the push back from SBers who apparently know they're fabulous divers and resent anyone checking their skills.
On a busy weekend, I might swap between my conventional Jacket and reg set up to my BP/w with my "wierd" reg arrangement, to SM and longhose, and yet without thought I know where my gear is positioned and can demonstrate and perform skills with zero thought.
Divers who practice their skills can easily adapt quickly and easily to a different gear config with minimal thought.
The vast majority of divers can't achieve the same skills level they were expected to achieve on OW
