| I had / still have similar problems, which I'm still working on, but here are some suggestions / thoughts:
I too have Fabers & jetfin type flippers, but no ankle weights, in my case with a Halcyon 55lbs horseshoe wing, and now just added 2kg tail-weight. Just like you, if I allowed myself to go flat or slightly head-down as you're supposed to be, I'd do a complete invert, at least till I added the tail-weight.
Slightly obvious but have you got the tank-bands all the way up to the necks? I improved a bit by moving the tanks down / bands up, which slightly mellowed the head-first-ness.
I assume you really do mean a tail weight, which sits nearly bellow the tanks, not just a keel weight which sits between the bands?
Are you using the wing for buoyancy, or the suit? I'm rather more OK using the suit than the wing. Not to say the suit is better (not getting into that debate), but just as comparison to whether my state, hence suggestions, are likely to be useful for you.
My 55lbs wing is clearly too big - took the advice of the shop and Halcyon's website unfortunately, but should clearly have bought a 40lbs (for 2x12 fabers, and ally 7 stage). I'm told on reasonably good authority, but haven't tried myself, that the doughnut type wings are better for front-tippyness. I'm thinking of getting one once I'm convinced it will help and at any rate, need to change to smaller wing. You might like to consider this, especially if you can borrow one first.
Having now added my 2kg tail weight, I'm now foot-heavy so will have to start moving my tanks back up again. On my recent first go with the tail weight, I'd goofed slightly by leaving on my v-weights, so was a tad heavy. I wondered why till I disassembled my kit back home afterwards!
As an aside, went on a stripy fish holiday recently, my first overseas adventure, and found that wearing a shorty wetsuit rather than my usual drysuit, meant my Jetfins were too heavy and my feet were dragging down making it all rather hard work and numpty-like. I do like them with a drysuit, but hopeless on holiday, for me at least.
I borrowed a single-tank doughnut wing for the hols, and got it spot on for trim (by my modest standards anyway), so now I do know what I'm aiming at. With my present UK set-up I struggle to use the wing tail-dump, but on hols with good trim it was easy.
Still working on it myself, but hopefully the odd thought of some use.
I'm also told that Heiser or Euro cylinders help, but am reluctant to fork out.
Hywel  |