There are times when you may need to remove and replace your BCD, weight belt, or fins at the surface or underwater. For example, you may be diving from a boat that's too small or unstable to gear up in. In this case, you need to don your gear after you've entered the water, and remove the gear before you get back into the boat.

Knowing how to remove and replace your gear is also necessary in the event you have to correct a gear problem while diving. Hoses may be caught underneath your weight belt or straps, kelp may become tangled in your gear, or adjustments may be necessary. In these events, you can remove your gear, correct the problem, and then replace the gear so you can continue your dive.