Fathers and sons explore 'whole other world' through scuba

Becoming a scuba diver was a long time coming for Frankie McAllister.

Thirty years ago, McAllister was planning to get his diving certification, but was unable to complete the certification due to a scheduling conflict.

On Sunday, he and his son Jonah McAllister, both of Farmington, Missouri, became certified open water divers after descending to a plane sunk in the waters of Mermet Springs in Massac County, Illinois.

Frankie -- who grew up on Clearwater Lake and camped on Current River with his parents when he was a kid -- said he beat cancer five years ago and still has items on his bucket list.

"I want to see a live reef before I leave this planet," Frankie said. "I told somebody the other day, 'It's one thing to see the Grand Canyon on TV, but you really don't understand it until you walk up and look off in that hole.' So I'm sure a reef is going to be the same."

Master scuba diver trainer Earnie Wilson of Ellsinore, Missouri, left, works on diving skills with Ryan McLaughlin of Dexter, Missouri, during a diving class July 13 at Southeast Missouri State University's Student Aquatic Center in Cape Girardeau.

Jonah described both flying in an airplane and scuba diving as being part of a "whole other world when you're way up in the sky or down there in the water."

Master Scuba Diver Trainer Earnie Wilson of Ellsinore, Missouri, got his certification after a trip to Jamaica on which he went snorkeling.

"I saw what was under the water, and I decided that I had to get down there," Wilson said.

He said adventure is typically a motivator for those looking to obtain their certification.

For Ryan McLaughlin, a "fascination with the ocean" is what fuels his desire to scuba dive.

Ryan McLaughlin, and his son Miller McLaughlin, 15, both of Dexter, Missouri, work with master scuba diver trainer Earnie Wilson of Ellsinore, Missouri, during a diving class.

McLaughlin and his son Miller McLaughlin, 15, both of Dexter, Missouri, started a certification class held with Wilson at Southeast Missouri State University's Student Aquatic Center and plan to finish the certification while on vacation in the Florida Keys.

"It's so just mysterious and beautiful," Ryan said of the ocean. "We've been fortunate enough to travel throughout the years and normally when we go to someplace that's warm, tropical, we usually do like a snorkeling excursion, and so I think this was just kind of a, you know, a way to maybe take that up a notch or to the next level."

Aaron Parris of Dexter joined the Navy to be a diver when he was a teenager but said he couldn't qualify. On Sunday, Parris and his son James Parris, also of Dexter, both became certified open water divers which, Wilson said, allows them to dive to a depth of 60 feet.

Aaron, who now has the aspiration of one day becoming a master diver, said he hopes to go on some vacations in the future and maybe dive down to explore shipwrecks.

"I've always wanted to scuba dive ever since I was a kid," Aaron said. "I just decided I wanted to finally do it before I got too old to be able to do it."

Divers are seen during a scuba diving class Saturday, July 13, 2019, at Southeast Missouri State University's Student Aquatic Center in Cape Girardeau.