Boat diving off Bonaire is simple, there will be a guide in the water with your group so you just follow along and let him/her spot things. The shore dive at Buddy is right off their dive dock, most of the dive resorts have one also - some are on named dive sites. One day we "dove the resorts" and were able to do 5-6 good dives with easy entries off dive docks and facilities. Buddy, Habitat, Den Laman, Eden Beach, Divi Flamingo and the Plaza all have good, publicly accessible dives. Bari Reef off Den Laman is the site with the highest # of counted fish species in the Caribbean, it's a simple entry and there's lots to see above 40-50'. Bonaire Dive/Adventure on-site has a naturalist who will accompany you on a REEF.org official fish count (for a fee).
Some of the shore dive entries can be a little tricky as they're over ironshore/coral rubble both on and sometimes directly offshore. So good buddy skills and being able to lean on each other for support are helpful. Many of the sites are bisected by sand channels so even though the ironshore looks formidable, you can often walk out in the sandy area till you're floating. To find it from the ocean (things look different when you're lower) we just park the truck in front of it if possible - at some sites you park within about 15-20' of the water, gear up and walk in. You can get a sense of the entries from the site photos here:
Scuba Shore Diving Region: ABC Islands
The dives themselves couldn't be easier, there's little to no current typically and the reef parallels the shore line. The only exceptions would be the sites in Slagbaai Park and the far south sites, current there can be ripping. I've seen soft corals bent over 90' at Vista Blue. But with your experience you shouldn't go there - just pick from the other 80+ sites.
The water clarity in summer will typically exceed 100' - at some sites I spotted the rope leading to the marker buoy from a long way away. I'd suggest doing a few shore dives with others in the group to get a little orientation first. One thing to know about Bonaire is that except for at the dive resorts, there are no facilities at most sites. And there is a little theft (kids?) so the standard practice is to leave nothing of value in the truck and the doors down/windows open. Once you go through the Marine Park orientation and get your tag, you'll never need to show your c-card again that week. And most shops/restaurants take wet cash - btw the U.S. dollar is the official currency there now afaik.
Another option to possibly consider is Curacao. It's easier to get to and is on the same reef as Bonaire. At several sites I couldn't tell the difference. There you can do escorted shore dives with the
Dive Bus, boat dives with fairly short rides and most of the shore dive sites - although spread out much farther than Bonaire - are off nice sandy beaches. Some even have excellent dive docks that get you out closer to the reef. And many have dive facilities on-site for tank rentals etc. Also theft is minimized as they'll watch your car. The reef itself is a little farther surface swim out since many of the sites are from protected coves through the ironshore - at least on the west side. On the east side, most entries are off a flat beach. If you drive out west to dive, get a good map, once you leave the main roads, things aren't marked well.
One of the better dives, Tugboat, sits in 20', if there's no ship traffic, their pier is a great dive also - most of the dives we did we stayed around 60' - nice long bottom times and it seemed like we were in the heart of the reef. At the best dive site (IMO) Playa Kalki, we didn't exceed 50' ever. And for $200pp you could do the dolphin dive at the Seaquarium - through Ocean Encounters - it takes place 2mins. off their breakwater in 40' - they'll take you out by boat and you spend 30-40 mins. with the dolphins.
hth
