Quote Originally Posted by Half-Fast View Post
I did the remove & replace drill in the pool in my OW class back in 1988, wearing a wetsuit; don't recall whether we also had to do it on a checkout dive or not. My son took PADI OW this past summer and did not have to do it.

I think it's worth teaching. I don't recall that it caused great difficulty or stress to anyone in my class, and it does help with confidence and comfort in the water. Is it a necessary skill? Maybe, even if it's not something you'll need often. Over the years I've had to do it on a dive a couple of times, both times due to a tank slipping from a loose tank strap.

One of the (several) things I dislike about integrated weight BCs is the difficulty presented if you're in a wetsuit and need to remove the BC for some reason.
If the instructor didn't do it, they broke standards.