We were there last September and the area we viewed from a semi-submersible were fine, no bleaching. However, the area we covered was not where the divers/snorkelers were. While I'm not a diver, I'm guessing that most of the folks on our boat were novices... certainly not advanced, because they were all renting equipment rather than having their own gear.

The answers above are right, we did see a few people who did not snorkle but there only option was to sit on the beach (small area) or wait on the boat. My opinion for you if you do not want scuba or snorkle is to find one that has a submersable. This way you can still see some of the underwater stuff without getting wet. Here is a lnk to the company I found, they are very helpful and can arrange things for you if you want them to - cairns holiday specialists. I hope you find this helpful and enjoy your travels.

Ummmm, do you understand what you indent to do is like going to Cambodia then driving past the temples at Angkor, Visting Peru but staying at the foot of the mountain at Machu Picchu or seeing the Grand Canyon but not looking down? Doing a two hour (bumpy) cruise to a sand cay with birds (somewhat interesting) without putting your head underwater (or a the very least in a semi-sub) and missing the seeing the greatest natural wonder on the planet is not just waste full, it near criminal. Either Ocean Spirit or Passions Of Paradise will get you to Michaelmas in relative comfort and have reasonable food. But if all you want is food and a water cruise you are better off to eat in Cairns then go on a sunset cruise.

According to Ebird the birds that have been recorded at Michaelmas Cay during July are: Great Frigatebird Brown Booby Silver Gull Common Noddy Sooty Tern Crested Tern Welcome Swallow Lesser Frigatebird Masked Booby Black-naped Tern Lesser Crested Tern Eastern Reef Egret Black Noddy Bridled Tern Caspian Tern Roseate Tern Osprey Wedge-tailed Shearwater Australian Pied Oystercatcher Little Tern Ruddy Turnstone Curlew Sandpiper Hope that helps. Cheers, Ross