1. Which dive shop do you recommend?.
Like others have said, the best choice is whomever is associated with where you're staying. I'd really recommend that as a first timer to Bonaire, you consider staying at an ocean front condo/resort that has a house reef. It's so convenient and easy to do dives right near your gear room and your tanks. It's also so much nicer for night diving to not have to drive and do your dive on a reef you're very familiar with.
Cultimara and the Warehouse are the biggest grocery stores. On our first trip to Bonaire we only went to Cultimara but last year went to Warehouse as well, and we thought the selection at Warehouse was much better.
3. best dive sites for the 10 year old to really get him hooked on diving?.
All of them!
4. dive sites with the best potential to see some big stuff ( turtles, lobster, eels, sharks).
With 100ish dives on Bonaire, we were treated to a nurse shark on our 3rd dive and not since. We've seen the most rays and turtles at the southern sites, but we've also had amazing encounters right on Bari Reef, our home reef. Eels we see at all the sites, lobster at many, and octopus at quite a few. On Bari we've also been treated to amazing encounters with huge tarpon hunting silversides. Since Bari is just down from Buddy and Capt Don's, I'd imagine the sightings are similar at all of them.
5. best night diving spots..
Personally, I think your home reef is the best night diving spot since you're comfortable with navigation and can be more relaxed.
6. website that gives some descriptions of the sites and what to expect.
Do yourself a favor and buy "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy". We used it extensively the first year, including making lots of notes in the margins, which was great for last year. For the southern sites, don't pay attention when people say "long surface swims to the reef." Do yourself a favor and drop down to swim across the sand flat to the first reef (they're double reef systems in the south). You'll find all sorts of cool critters in the rubble on the sand, and might even see a Peacock Flounder hunt and catch a Garden Eel in 20' of water like we did last year!! We've found most of our lobsters and octopus in the shallow rubble, as well as more tiny juveniles than we can count. At the end of your dive, swim back across the sand flat, snooping for critters again, and you'll find you've just done a 10+ min safety stop!!
7. Is the diving really 24/7.
Yes, if you want it to be.
8. what is the protical for the shore diving.
Drive down the road, pull off at a yellow rock, check out the conditions and look for your entry/exit point, gear up using the tailgate of your truck, leave nothing but water, an old t-shirt and crappy flip flops in your truck with the windows down and doors unlocked, walk into the water, dive for as long as you want or as long as your air lasts, exit the water, do a surface interval, and repeat as often as you want!!
9. If the shore diving is so good, is it worth it to do boat dives at all.
Many will recommend a dive or two to Klein, and if you're interested in either going up to Washington Park or the east side, you might want to check into Buddy's 3-tank park dive (includes lunch), or East Side Divers for a wild 2-tank charter out of Lac Bay. Personally, I recommend that folks buy their boat dive ala carte instead of prepurchasing a package. Boat dives are literally about $25 each so there usually isn't much of a "deal" in prepurchasing.
I'd recommend if you aren't nitrox certified that you either consider doing it before you leave or do it when you get there. Most operations include free nitrox in their packages, so it's well worth it IMO.
Above all, have a wonderful time....and don't forget to ask where the good, cheap eats are on island before you go! We'll be there for 2 weeks again this summer and I can't wait!!!
