Delve deep into Hudson River’s life

Kids can play free Saturday at the fifth-annual Submerge Festival at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84.

The largest outdoor marine festival will feature the biggest oyster found in the Hudson River, as well as all kinds of aquatic creatures and birds of prey.

Jutting into the water off Pier 84, the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is the perfect location to launch some kayaks — yet another activity offered this year.

Last year it drew some 5,000 attendees, who were awed by the marine life on display.

“The Hudson River is cloudy, so when a lot of people look at the river they don’t think there’s fish in there,” said Tina Walsh, director of education and outreach at the Hudson River Park Estuary Lab.

“It’s very biodiverse. There are over 70 types just in Hudson River Park and 200 in the river as a whole,” she noted.

Construction workers repairing the pilings under Pier 40 earlier this month stumbled onto the largest oyster to come out of the Hudson River in a century.

Measuring 8½ inches long, it’s estimated to be at least 8 years old, and Walsh says the shy shellfish — which can filter up to 50 gallons a day — plays a major role in the cleaning the busy waterway.

Pele the red-footed tortoise, Victoria the sulcata tortoise and a snapping turtle are the stars of the festival’s hourly “Turtle Talks.”

Newly-hatched diamondback terrapins will also make a cameo at the event — a week before their release into the Hudson River to begin their new lives as New Yorkers.

“They’re trying their best to make it, and people don’t realize that these animals are our neighbors in the city,” said James Liu, a veterinarian with the Turtle Conservancy. “This is an opportunity to see these animals up close in person, probably for the first time, unless you’re kayaking out in Jamaica Bay.”