I remove my skimmer basket while the pump is on with no problem. I do it all the time. Lift it out, dump the junk that has accumulated in it and put it immediately right back in. I doubt it is out for more than 5 seconds. I never turn the pump off to do this. If the basket is really full and there is a lot of suction on it, I might take my finger and move some of the stuff in the basket around a little to break the strong suction and then it can be lifted out easily.