The group is one of the oldest dive clubs in Southern California, according to club history, and was founded in 1970 as a loose group of dedicated divers on the cutting edge of the burgeoning sport.

The club incorporated as a California registered nonprofit organization in 1991.

With about 90 active members, the dive club’s monthly meetings feature guest speakers and they also join together for monthly dive trips, frequently to Catalina and the other Channel Islands.

The group dives help many with their comfort level and “we try to make the whole thing fun,” Carlon said.

Its membership is varied: those interested in trying scuba, rookie divers, those who once dived and are looking to get back into it and certified instructors, Carlon said.

The age range is wide as well. Divers have to be at least 10 years old to be certified.

As such, a lot of families are club members, even if not everyone dives. Carlon, who had learned to dive in the Navy but had gotten away from it, joined the club when his son was 12 and tried an introduction at Catalina.

“He fell in love with it,” Carlon said, and they began looking into lessons, which then led to the club.

Locally, residents may have been exposed to the club through their annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest held at Halloween time. The club hopes to expand the annual event to include an introduction to scuba for those who attend.

In addition to monthly dive trips, the club has several activities where they may combine their scuba skills with a little public service.

“We try to keep it diversified,” Carlon said. “We give back to the sport we love by doing what we can to protect it.”

An annual trip to June Lake in the Sierras combines an opportunity for high-altitude diving training and certification with an underwater lake cleanup effort. The group uses their skills to haul up piles of trash from the lake floor, a surprising amount hidden beneath the deceptively clean surface.

Members are also involved in an effort with the National Park Service to map the bottom of Lake Mead, with the goal of creating something of an underwater park for divers.

A cleanup trip to Catalina doubles as a fundraiser for operation of the hyperbaric chamber on the island, an important piece of medical equipment for divers to treat decompression illness. Volunteers pick up trash from the ocean floor during their dive, then compete for prizes such as the weirdest trash found or spinning a story about an object picked up.

“We’re a fun group,” Carlon said. “We like to dive and we live to give back to our community.”

Last year, the club added another facet to their activities by joining the WAVES Project, a nonprofit organization that provides free scuba training for veterans with service connected disabilities and a “dive buddy.”

Training is adapted to meet individual students’ needs and provides therapeutic benefits for many who go through the program, according to the project.

Desert Divers club members are instructors, dive master and support team for the lessons offered here.

The AV Desert Divers led its first course under the project in November and have certified five veterans so far, Carlon said.

The WAVES Project is also involved in the Lake Mead mapping effort, providing an outlet for using their new skills.

“That’s the way we keep the vets involved,” Carlon said.

The public is invited to join the Antelope Valley Desert Divers as they celebrate their 50th birthday on Saturday at Gino’s Restaurant, 819 West Palmdale Blvd.

The event has a 1970s theme and will feature a costume contest, photo booth and dancing, along with the installation of club officers.

Social hour begins at 6 p.m. and the dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased on the club’s website, avdesertdivers.org

The club meets regularly at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway in Palmdale.