Featherbed Nature Reserve — Attraction in George

Seriously unsafe

We just came back from an extremely disturbing and seriously unsafe trip. To be fair, the views on the walk were fantastic.

Short summary: Man overboard, collision with anchored ferry, unprofessional behavior from crew.

On the return ferry trip there were strong winds (12-14 m/s). When the ferry tried to approach the jetty, it was clearly very difficult for the captain/helmsman to maneuver it. We sat just next to the captain, so we could see and hear everything. Despite the strong winds, no staff were on the jetty to help docking. The wind pushed the ferry sideways away from the jetty, so the captain abandoned the approach, and started over. The captain was swearing that the crew should have jumped onto the jetty to secure the mooring lines. On the second approach, the tour guide (i.e. not the boat crew) jumped tried to jump onto the jetty but the ferry again drifted away, so he missed and fell in the water.

There were no "man overboard" calls from the crew. In fact, there were no messages to either the crew and passengers, and no radio communication with the shore. There were just some confusing exchanges of what to do. The ferry drifted away from the man in the water, and the two "safety officers" tried to throw a lifebuoy to the man, but the lifebuoy was tethered with a line which was not freed, so the lifebuoy fell very much short. After several attempts the man was clearly afraid and had difficulties staying afloat. This was becoming serious. Finally, another untethered lifebuoy was thrown near the man who cached it.

The ferry then started to dock again, and since crew from the shore now had appeared on the jetty to receive the mooring lines, it succeeded. But the the man in the water had drifted about 100 away, and no rescue boats had been launched from the jetty. There was no radio communication with the shore or discussion with the staff on the jetty. Suddenly the captain ordered the ship to undock and went for a rescue mission, in strong winds with a poorly maneuverable ferry with approximately 40 passengers aboard. This put the passengers and crew in unnecessary danger. Instead, the crew on the shore should have launched a speedboat to rescue the man.

The ferry made several unsuccessful attempts on getting the man along the side of the boat, instead of just sailing in front of the man and let him drift to the ferry. Finally, a passenger (!) managed to throw a tethered lifebuoy to the man, so that he could be pulled along the side of the ship, and two passengers (I was one of them) pulled the man out of the water.

But now the ferry had become entangled in the anchor line of an old ferry that was stationary in the water. The ferry's backboard side collided with the old ferry several times. At no time did the crew instruct the passengers to move away from the collision side, but one passenger spoke up and told the other passengers what to do.

At that time, approximately 20 minutes after the man overboard, a speedboat approached with the operations manager of the company, but he did not really do anything but to offer to evacuate the passengers 4 of a time. However, at that point, the ferry came loose, and sailed to the jetty and docked. The poor man that fell into the water had been left to himself all that time. The crew did not take care of him. When we came ashore, an ambulance took care of him.

To me, it looked like the crew had no idea of what to do in a man overboard situation, and had no regards for the passengers' safety.

The manager stated that he would investigate the incident, but declined to involve the...

'n Wonderful 4 hour outing with a buffet included . It was a glorious summer day when we went on the Featherbed outing. The ferrie departed exactly 10:00 from the Knysna Waterfront. Exploring the shops at the Waterfront will put you in the right touristy mood before boarding the ferry. Throughout the trip the crew were friendly and the guide gave interesting bits of information about the area. I specially appreciated the fact that everything happened punctual and there was a strong emphasis on safety. The ferry trip takes about 30 min. After arriving at Featherbed enjoy the trailer ride to the viewpoint which provides stunning photo opportunities. Before the trailer ride begins, you can buy drinking water. You will have plenty of time to take photos of one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. The devistation of the 7 June 17 fire is still visible, but does not effect the experience. From the view point enjoy a 2 km walk back to the newly built restaurant with its stunning tables made out of a different species of indigenous timber from the area. Excellent woodwork is showcased in the yellowwood, hard pear and Stinkwood table tops. You do have a choice to walk or ride back. The walk is easy with some stairs in the beginning. Therefore remember comfortable walking shoes, a hat and suntan lotion. Back at the restaurant you have a beautiful view of the lagune and Knysna while enjoying the buffet. The dessert was delicious. Drinks are extra. Personally I don't think someone in a wheelchair will be able to go there, but please confirm with management. The same goes for young families with strollers. On the Knysna side is plenty of parking (high season might cause a problem) and on both the Knysna and Featherbed side have clean bathrooms. This was R700 p/p well spend with a verity of experiences in...

The Featherbed Eco walk with lunch did not disappoint. Even the overcast weather couldn’t put a damper on the afternoon. It starts with a 20min boat ride across the beautiful Knysna Estuary with interesting and entertaining commentary provided by our guide - Colin.

The buffet lunch at the Featherbed restaurant was delicious with a full selection of meats, veggies, salads and deserts - drinks are not included (no cash accepted).

We were shuttled up to the top of the reserve with a 60-70 min walk down to the cave (time depends on how many times you stop to take photos, and there are so many beautiful spots) Colin our Guide was not only extremely knowledgeable on the history and nature on the reserve but was also very patient with our all girls group 😁. The views throughout the walk are breathtaking and the photos don’t do it justice.

All the Featherbed staff are amazing and I highly recommend this experience if you are in Knysna. We booked online and prices vary depending on the day and season. We paid R550 per person (midweek) and ticket prices includes everything except drinks...