What Lies Beneath . . .

What lies beneath the murky waters of the Hudson River remains unseen by most, unless enterprising divers outfit themselves with a microphone and a camera and broadcast it back to shore:

The Hudson River at night, with the lights of Manhattan reflected and shimmering on its surface, can be a romantic and inspiring sight. What lies beneath the surface is another matter.

On Saturday, about 200 people got a rare nighttime look at life under the Hudson’s surface off Pier 26, in Lower Manhattan, from two divers outfitted with underwater cameras and microphones.

Up on the pier, the audience regularly applauded and gasped at the visions unfolding live before them on two large projection screens.

“We’re taking bets to see if we see any bodies down there,” said Daniel Edelman, 23, a graphic designer from Brooklyn who was drinking beer with a group of friends. “I know it is an old New York river stereotype. But it is certainly possible.”

But alas, gawking landlubbers were perhaps disappointed to learn that there are just a bunch of fish, oysters and crabs down there — just as well, say environmental groups, who seek to further clean up the river.