I agree with the both recommendations. According to the PADI "play book" you should, while holding a "normal" breath, at eye level float. If you exhale you should begin to sink, and if you inhale you should float. Start by adding weight to your weight system until you float at eye level. Once you have achieved this, add about 4 pounds because as stated the AL 80 will be "about" 4 pounds positive at the end of your dive. If it were me, I would add maybe about 6 lbs so you know for sure you can get down. The problem is being positively Buoyant. Being a little too heavy is better than being not heavy enough. As you learned it is hard to stay down with that AL 80 at the end of the dive. You don’t want an uncontrolled ascent at the end of your dive, that would be bad! Most of the time it’s just hard to do your safety stop when you have to fight buoyancy! As you get more comfortable, try to take away some weight to fine tune your buoyancy. Try going to a pool (in full wetsuit and gear)to practice this before your big trip. This will let you get adjusted to your weight changes. Just remember, a pool is fresh water and you need more weight in salt water...Good luck!