I've just checked my log book and our first trip to Bonaire was in May 1995, and there wasn't much sand or beach back then and the shore diving entries and exits presented the same challenges as always. The big difference is that we were a lot younger back then and it was easier for us to manage. That's why we haven't been back recently, it's just harder for us now.
We've done 5 or 6 trips to Bonaire over the years and we stayed at a few different venues, but we always got the van at the airport rental agency and were never picked up by the resort upon arrival. I imagine that some resorts would be willing to transport guests, especially if they were traveling in a group - but we only went there as a couple so that was not our experience.
We saw frogfish and seahorses on night dives on the town pier, but that site is usually no longer available for diving. We also saw them at a couple of boat dive sites off of Klein Bonaire, so they were around but they were rare and hard to find - at least for us. I still have the pair of seahorse earrings that I bought in Bonaire to celebrate seeing my very first seahorse on a dive!
OP, you might like shore diving the Fredricksted Pier on St. Croix, it is a very easy entrance and exit and we saw frogfish, seahorses, octopus, and more.
A lot of different Bonaire dive site guides and maps have been available over the years and the maps had numbers or letters referencing the names of the sites in the map legend and guide, but the yellow rocks were always labeled only with the names of the sites.
FYI, there was recent discussion on Trip Advisor about shore dive guides to Bonaire including information about a new guide that sounds interesting. It will come out in December 2018 and will include aerial images, parking advice, and other details, see below:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147267-i731-k10960985-Book_Guide_with_shore_dive_descriptions-Bonaire.html
12. Re: Book/Guide with shore dive descriptions.
Reef Smart Guides, which produces waterproof cards with 3D maps of certain dive sites for Bonaire, is about to release a full dive guide. The book has detailed maps of many Bonaire dive sites, as well as aerial images, access points, routes, species, etc. It is being release by Mango Publishing in Miami and will be available on Amazon, in North American book stores and on island by December 2018. It is priced between the two books mentioned here, but is far more complete than either.
13. Re: Book/Guide with shore dive descriptions.
What do you mean by "far more complete"? Specifically please.
You should also mention that you're the Managing Director for Reef Smart Guides and have an obvious financial interest in promoting your products.
14. Re: Book/Guide with shore dive descriptions.
Hi wwguy. Guides currently available for Bonaire contain either a limited number of sites or limited information on each site. I am a director at Reef Smart Guides, but I am also a dive and travel enthusiast hoping to share information that can help visitors to Bonaire get the most out of their experience. I love the diving in Bonaire, but it can be challenging to access some dive sites without detailed instructions, which I felt were lacking for some sites, particularly those in the remote north and south of the island that are perhaps the most rewarding to explore. It was during my first visit to Bonaire that it became clear to me that a more complete dive guide would be valuable - one that contains drone images of each site, showing car access points, parking, shore entry and exit points and the species that are likely to be found at each site, as well as 3D maps of the most popular locations. Hope this helps and clarifies what I meant. Thanks.