SUSAN LaHOUD/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

When they started more than four decades ago, the small group of scuba divers known as the Old Colony Amphib ians were called upon many times by local fire departments to search for drowning victims and items lost in lakes and ponds.

Two of the founding members, Everett Carpenter, who in 1959 was superinten dent of Capron Park, and Bob Demers, operator of Demers Brothers Rigging Co., both of Attleboro, were among the divers who ran courses and were instrumental at the time in training fire department dive personnel.

Years later the scuba club is still afloat, but as a recreational organization.

It has flourished over the years to now include about 60 members spanning in age from 14 to 76, said Dick Will of North Attleboro, who holds the distinction of being the oldest active member of the group. Members, who meet throughout the year at the Scuba Center dive shop in South Attleboro, now come from two states. Many are local, from Attleboro, North Attleboro and Pawtucket and Prov idence, says Will. There are others, how ever, who come from Newport, Jamestown and Exeter, R.I. and Taunton, Raynham, Bellingham and Duxbury. Women comprise about 25 percent of the group, which started as an all-male club.

`` There are a lot of clubs in Massachu setts,'' says Will. `` We are one of, if not the, oldest club in the state.''

Will joined the club in 1962 when it still aided area fire departments. He taught classes at the Hockomock YMCA in North Attleboro for 11 years.

He himself helped in searches for vic tims of swimming, boating and other tragedies.

He recalled one time years ago in Norton, searching for the bodies of two children who had fallen through the ice.

The club, years ago, also owned and operated a filling station for diving tanks which they made available for the fire department's emergency breathing apparatus.

Will said the club's portable filling station was on hand the night that fire engulfed the Thompson Chemical Co.

It's been about 15 years since the club performed those activities, especially as fire departments developed their own dive squads, says Will.

Now, the club holds group dives for fun -- whether it's for lobsters or exploring wrecks.

They hold two dives in Provincetown -- one in the spring and the other in the fall -- a midsummer dive on Winter Island in Salem, a New Year's Day dive at Fort Witherell in Jamestown, R.I., weekly Friday night dives all summer in Narragansett Bay, and a Halloween night dive on Spooky Island, R.I. Smaller group dives are also set up at the meetings. Will once snagged a 21 1/2 pound lobster in Provincetown.

A yearly banquet is held with awards given out in different categories, such as the biggest fish speared, the largest lobster caught and diver of the year.

Artifacts and prize-winning underwater photographs are also part of the event.

New members are welcome.

The group also has what he calls a `` sub-club'' of people who scuba dive in the winter. His last such dive was New Year's Day a year ago, due to his age.

But winter dives have recently included a wreck in Narragansett Bay.

`` They each throw $15 in the pot and every three weeks they must make a dive or they're out (of the winter dive club pot),'' says Will. It's all in fun. Those who make it through the winter `` then get to go out to dinner to consume'' the money raised, he laughed.

The prime attraction of joining a scuba club is diving in numbers, says Will -- a sentiment which fellow club member Bill Lane of North Attleboro echoes.

`` The nice thing about the club is you can meet other divers,'' Lane said. `` You always have someone to dive with.''

`` And it's fun,'' Will added.

All those joining the club must be certified in scuba diving.

`` Safety first,'' said Lane and Will.