An apparatus that is utilized with a pool skimming system to remove a deck lid from a skimmer reservoir and a skimmer basket from inside the skimmer reservoir while the user remains in a standing position. The apparatus has an elongated handle and an engaging mechanism. The engaging mechanism, which is at a lower end of the handle, has an inverted U-shaped engaging member with a pair of spaced apart outwardly extending engaging projections that engage slots in the deck lid to remove the deck lid from the skimmer reservoir and then engage a basket handle of the basket to remove the basket from the skimmer reservoir. The apparatus can include an adjusting mechanism to adjust the distance between the engaging projections of the engaging mechanism and/or a sampling mechanism having an integral correct depth indicating mechanism to obtain a water sample from a body of water.