NARRATOR: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...
- RICK: That's a beam.
- Yep.
BILLY:
Somebody stacked those cobbles.
This might be part
of the flood tunnel.
Wow.
JACK:
If that is strapping,
that would be on a chest.
Yes. Now, that is interesting.
JAN:
We're gonna insert this radar
- to look for voids.
- CRAIG: Okay.
we get a void space.
This could be
the fabled offset chamber.
NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic
where people have
been looking for
an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.
So far, they have
found a stone slab
with strange
symbols carved into it,
man-made workings that
date to medieval times,
and a lead cross whose
origin may be connected
to the Knights Templar.
To date, six men have died
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
before the treasure
can be found.
♪ ♪
GARY: Here we go. It's
gonna be sloppy today.
PETER: Yeah, it is.
NARRATOR: Despite
the foreboding skies
that shroud a new
morning on Oak Island,
the hope of a major
discovery remains high
for brothers Rick and
Marty Lagina and their team
as they dig at Smith's Cove
for clues that could help
solve a 229-year-old mystery.
- PETER: Hey, Craig.
- Hello.
- How's it going today?
- GARY: It's going good, mate.
No fantastic artifacts just yet,
but I'm hoping for them to
come up, whatever they are.
And Rick pulled out a
really nice piece of concrete.
- Concrete?
- PETER: Yeah.
And I believe that's part
of the story of this area.
Let's make some
treasure headlines today.
Okay, Gary. We're ready.
NARRATOR: One week ago,
the Oak Island team
began an excavation
in search of a
stone-lined flood tunnel
which is believed
to feed seawater
into the original Money Pit
in order to protect the
fabled treasure vault.
After studying a detailed
survey map of the area,
which was created
by the late treasure hunter
Bobby Restall Jr. in 1963,
the team was able to reach
a depth of some 30 feet,
where they made a
potentially critical discovery.
RICK: This is the first bucket
that has a bunch of
same-size cobbles.
That is the description
of the flood tunnel.
NARRATOR: Incredibly, after
unearthing potential evidence
of the flood tunnel...
- Is it concrete?
- Yeah.
NARRATOR: Rick found
a large fragment of concrete
which may be the same material
that the Restall
family mixed and used
during a failed
attempt to plug up
the fabled booby
trap back in the 1960s.
Emma is testing it,
so we may be able to
get some answers on
what range it may come from.
- Well, I'm ready to find something.
- Yeah.
- Same here, mate.
- Okay. Sounds good.
NARRATOR: Today,
the team is hoping
to not only confirm the
location of the flood tunnel
but also track it back
to the Money Pit area,
and determine just where
the treasure may be buried
deep below ground.
- Hey, Rick.
- Hey.
Kind of soupy, eh?
CRAIG: Yeah.
RICK: If we find
the flood tunnel,
we follow that up, it should be
a direct line to "X
marks the spot."
And that's my hope,
that ultimately, we
solve this mystery
for all the people that
have come before us
looking for answers.
There's something right there.
That is one weird-looking board.
- [chuckles]
- CRAIG: Yeah.
CRAIG: Hey, Billy.
- What's that?
- It looks like there's a board
right at the water
level right now.
- Do you see it from there?
- I think so, yeah.
I'll see if the water
that's in the hole
- might help clean it off.
- Okay.
RICK: It does look shaped.
CRAIG: I'm gonna give
Steve a call, have him mark it.
RICK: As Billy digs, we
have everyone looking
for something that was
built by human hands.
Lo and behold, there's a board.
I am curious about
who built this structure,
searchers or
original depositors.
[chuckles]: It's difficult
not to want to go down
and put your hands on it
and take measurements.
Unfortunately, it's too deep.
Hey, guys.
- Steve.
- Hey, Steve.
If you'll step
right where I'm at
on this side, kind of,
see a board sticking out?
Yep.
BILLY: Two boards, on this side.
RICK: Yeah, I see that.
STEVE: Yeah, it looks
like it's pretty much on top
of the projected line.
I mean, the Restall survey
plan from '63 is quite accurate.
So, if the flood tunnel
was gonna be down here
and they really did
find it, it looks like
this wood lines up with
the potential flood tunnel.
- Yep.
- We're... just got to keep going.
It's worth digging.
NARRATOR: As the excavation
at Smith's Cove continues,
later that morning...
RICK: Well, welcome everybody.
The reason for
today's meeting is,
Jan Francke, who is gonna
bring some real interesting
technology to bear.
- Yeah.
- Absolutely.
NARRATOR: Rick,
Craig and other members
of the team meet in the w*r
room with Dr. Jan Francke,
a world-renowned
ground-penetrating radar expert
who has not only designed
technology for scanning
the pyramids of Giza but also
the subsurface of the Moon.
RICK: We all know that Dr. Fred
and Dr. Spooner
are currently resistant
to additional drilling in
the so-called "Golden Egg."
Yeah.
CHARLES: We have a core.
NARRATOR: Over
the past three weeks,
the Oak Island team
has been conducting
a core drilling operation in
the so-called Golden Egg,
a 30-by-15-foot oval-shaped
area in the Money Pit
where groundwater testing
has identified a large
source of precious metals
somewhere between the
depths of 80 and 120 feet.
Nothing to write home
about, unfortunately.
NARRATOR: However,
after drilling several boreholes
and recovering no solid
evidence of treasure...
We'd like to stand down on
drilling in that area right now,
and let the site sort
of settle, if you will.
NARRATOR: geoscientist
Dr. Ian Spooner
and hydrogeologist
Dr. Fred Michel
have directed the
team to temporarily halt
all drilling within
the Golden Egg.
This will allow the
groundwater to settle
while they conduct
new water tests.
I'm gonna turn it over to Craig
because he found Dr. Francke.
NARRATOR: In the meantime,
Craig Tester has
reached out to Dr. Francke
to see if he can offer
another scientific avenue
to help pinpoint the location
of the believed treasure.
So, we've run ground-penetrating
radar in the past,
and I'm always looking
for updated technology,
and one thing that he
does have is a borehole
ground-penetrating radar.
And-and I'll let you
go into the details
- of the tool.
- JAN: Sure.
Now, my background
is a geophysicist, and I
designed GPR systems
for a variety of
applications. And so,
this is a hundred-megahertz
borehole radar antenna.
The idea with the
borehole radar is to combine
all-in-one, self-contained tube,
which is what we
have here today.
So, what we hope to see
are very obvious targets.
It'll be of interest to all of
us, I can guarantee you that.
NARRATOR: The
is a device that sends
electromagnetic pulses
through the earth which
can identify anomalies
such as structures,
voids and metal objects.
JAN: When you're
looking at a borehole
in your environment,
it's kind of like looking at
a painting through a straw.
And what I'm hoping to do
with this technology is expand
the size of the
straw a little bit.
JACK: So, if you
run this equipment
around the Money
Pit, you're rather sure
that if-if there is a treasure
or some sort of a vault,
you should be
able to pick up on it?
JAN: Yeah, I
would, I would think
we're looking for an
air or water-filled void.
That would be a
very strong reflection.
So, what we'll see is, if
there's any target underground,
we'll know the
depth and we'll know
the approximate distance
away from the hole.
- Mm-hmm.
- Perfect.
RICK: We certainly believe
there is something there.
Let's hope that this device
will provide those answers.
Absolutely.
- RICK: So, good luck.
- Let's do it.
NARRATOR: Later that afternoon,
while Jan Franke
begins to conduct
ground-penetrating radar scans
in boreholes located
in the Golden Egg...
BILLY: You can see the
third board there now...
CRAIG: Yeah.
BILLY: on the
bottom of that row.
RICK: Yep.
NARRATOR: Rick,
Craig and Steve
have rejoined other members
of the team at Smith's Cove,
where Billy Gerhardt
has just uncovered
more potential evidence
of the believed
man-made flood tunnel.
RICK: I mean, somebody
had to put those boards there.
It's a curious thing.
- What the heck is it?
- Yeah.
CRAIG: Billy.
Can you dump a couple
buckets on the wood
to try to clean it up a
little more around it?
[grunts]
♪ ♪
STEVE: There's a flat face
about six or eight
inches under it.
RICK: So, we are looking
at a structure that is
only partially exposed
in the moment.
We're looking for anything
out of the ordinary in the area.
And here we're seeing
something out of place,
but there has to be more.
I was hoping something
would show there.
CRAIG: Yeah, me, too.
- There she goes.
- RICK: Oh, yeah.
It's going more. Look at it.
CRAIG: Watch out.
There's a crack right there.
- Ooh.
- RICK: Oh, yeah.
Ooh...
That whole thing's going.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
- Ooh...
- The whole thing's going.
That whole thing's going.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
NARRATOR: It is a tense and
potentially dangerous moment
at Smith's Cove.
A section of the trench
that the Oak Island team
is excavating in search
of the legendary flood tunnel
has suddenly begun to cave in.
There is a board.
You were right.
That it, you see it there?
CRAIG: Yep. That's a big board.
RICK: We should grab that
- before we start digging, you know?
- BILLY: All right.
♪ ♪
Oh, there's a beam, too.
CRAIG: Look at that.
I don't think that's a board.
It's a rock, isn't it?
- CRAIG: Rock?
- RICK: Concrete.
- STEVE: Oh!
- CRAIG: Wow.
RICK: Look at that.
CRAIG: Oh, yeah.
RICK: See this?
It's not uniform
thickness. Right?
- Thicker here than it is here.
- CRAIG: Over here? Definitely.
This is where Emma is
gonna be incredibly helpful.
- Yes.
- RICK: She said she can,
you know, with
the different mixes,
- she may be able to define a decade or decades.
- Okay.
So...
We should just
leave it like it is.
NARRATOR: If the team can verify
that this concrete
was made in the 1960s,
it would likely mean
that it was created
by the Restall family
and that their efforts
to locate the believed
flood tunnel that feeds
seawater into the Money
Pit could soon pay off.
Let's take... let's go
take a look at that beam.
We found concrete and
then we find a huge beam.
It's evidence of work
by human hands.
It could represent
previously unknown work.
It's exciting.
There might be something here
that will speak eloquently
to what happened here.
That is one big beam.
I would think this would
be too massive for Restalls.
Oh, yeah.
STEVE: It doesn't look like
it's been cut by a machine.
-No. -STEVE: It looks hand-cut.
NARRATOR: A massive,
hand-cut wooden beam?
If the team is correct
that it wasn't placed
here by the Restall family,
could it be connected
to whoever created
the flood tunnel
and hid a vast treasure
in the Money Pit long ago?
When it caved in, it
sure looked like this was
the only thing, that
and the concrete.
Why those two
things by themselves?
There's no reason to stop
because you've got so
many unexplained things.
Yeah.
RICK: I think the
finding of the concrete,
certainly is highly suggestive
that we're in the area
of the Restalls' efforts to
block off the flood tunnel.
Unfortunately, the flood
tunnel eludes us at this point.
But maybe we are getting close.
There's a chance that we
may find more things today.
I think it's just a matter of
continuing what we're doing.
Keep digging.
RICK: Let's go find something.
♪ ♪
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
in the Money Pit area...
JAN: All right.
Well, let's take the
borehole radar out
- right now.
- Okay.
NARRATOR: Craig Tester joins
Dr. Jan Francke to assist him
while he scans another borehole
with his specialized ground
penetrating radar device.
We have a
transmitter on one side
and a receiver on the other,
and it's all fit
inside a tiny tube.
There's a computer
on board as well.
So we're gonna be logging
all the data inside the hull.
So we have two little batteries
that we're going to insert
and once we do that, it's
gonna start up the radar
and it'll be collecting data.
And then, we'll
have a little app
- that we can control it with.
- Okay.
All right. Let's go
ahead and put this in.
CRAIG: There's a number of
things that we might be able to see
that could tell us that
there's a flood tunnel nearby.
It could tell us if
there's a, you know,
a treasure nearby,
a shaft nearby.
Okay, this is the next
borehole we want to do.
- Okay.
- It's, uh, HN-16, it's called.
As you can see, the
Garden Shaft is right there.
NARRATOR: Located within
the so-called Golden Egg,
borehole HN-16 sets
just 18 feet north
of the Garden Shaft:
the 18th-century structure
where one year ago...
the team encountered
the possible flood tunnel
while conducting a
probe drilling operation
in search of the treasure
some 100 feet underground.
There's some theories that, um,
the treasure is hidden
off to the side in-into a tunnel
that was dug off from
the main Money Pit.
So if this can image
five, ten, 15 feet out or more,
it'd be fantastic.
Yeah, that's the idea
of a borehole radar.
So what we're gonna do is
insert this down slowly
and it's going to track
all the way down and look
all around the-the drill hole.
Okay. Let's get started.
The recording is all done
at the tool down hole...
JAN: And down she goes.
CRAIG: so we
won't have any idea
what the tool is
seeing until he can
download the
data and process it.
JAN: Okay. And downloading
data. And we got it.
CRAIG: But hopefully, we'll find
some indication
that the treasure is
nearby, indications of a vault
in the Golden Egg.
I don't know how far
out it's going to see,
but if we can see 15
feet, that would be great.
But let's see what we see.
CRAIG: Sounds good.
NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...
MARTY: Hello, guys.
- RICK: Hey.
- CHARLES: Hey, Marty.
- TERRY: Hi, Marty.
- ALEX: Hey.
This is a very
interesting w*r room.
NARRATOR: Craig Tester,
along with Rick Lagina
and other members
of the team meet
in the w*r room as Marty Lagina
joins them via video conference.
RICK: We have here, probably
the most interesting find,
something that might corroborate
what the Restalls attempted
to do many years ago.
NARRATOR: They
have gathered to hear
a scientific report from
archaeometallurgist
Emma Culligan
regarding the large pieces
of concrete that were recently
unearthed at Smith's Cove.
This is indeed concrete
'cause concrete is
cement, aggregate and sand.
And this is a pretty simple
cement-concrete composition.
NARRATOR: Prior
to today's meeting,
Emma scanned the concrete
with an X-ray
diffraction device...
or XRD... which uses X-rays
to determine the
chemical composition
and physical
properties of materials.
What's really cool about it is,
in the XRD, I did get
a portlandite trace,
which kind of puts it in the
group of Portland cement.
NARRATOR: Comprised
of a combination
of limestone and clay or shale,
Portland cement is the most
common type of cement used
in modern-day construction.
It is often mixed with sand,
gravel and water
to make concrete.
There's only two locations
in Canada that have portlandite
and that's Quebec
and then there's B.C.
And this is most
likely Quebec-sourced.
All of the aggregates
and sand are most likely
Nova Scotia-based
'cause those are all
compositions that I normally
see in our soil and sand.
So there's a few
key things that can
narrow down a
date for this cement.
So the Quebec location started
hydraulic mining in the 1920s.
And this is
hydraulically-mined cement.
I don't think it's
anything post-1980s
cause it's missing
modern concrete mix.
So I can narrow it down to...
Because it's porous,
the aggregates are not
evenly placed throughout.
So it was rushly made. It
wasn't mixed thoroughly.
So it would kind of fit
the whole storyline
of, like, filling
in a floodgate.
This concrete could fit
the period of the Restalls
during the 1960s.
MARTY: I think you've found
where the Restalls
thought the flood tunnel was.
RICK: I think what
sits in front of us...
thanks to Emma
for corroborating that
this, indeed, could be
part of the Restall effort.
NARRATOR: In the w*r room,
Emma Culligan has just presented
scientific evidence
that the cement
unearthed by Rick Lagina
and the team at Smith's Cove
may have been used
by the late treasure
hunter Robert Restall
and his family in 1961
during a failed attempt
to seal up the
so-called Vertical Shaft,
an approximately 32-foot-deep,
stone-lined hole
believed to be connected
to the legendary flood tunnel
that feeds seawater
into the Money Pit.
Might this piece of concrete
offer critical evidence
that the team may be close
to locating the flood tunnel,
which could lead them
straight to the Money
Pit treasure vault?
CRAIG: They thought
that was the spot
to shut off the flood tunnel.
That's why they
wanted to cement it.
And they recorded it as having
a direct impact on
the flow of water.
So there was definitely
some sort of connection there.
Exactly.
RICK: Look,
I'm heartened by it.
The Restalls' understanding
of the location of
the Vertical Shaft
was very important to
them and it should be to us.
So having said that,
let's try to find
the Vertical Shaft.
So, this is our
Smith's Cove survey.
We're currently
sitting right here.
In that same area, that's
where we found the concrete,
along the projected
line of the flood tunnel.
And that's really
important to us because
it confirms that the flood
tunnel system is real.
And it confirms that
the Restalls were
in the right place.
We're following
a trail of clues.
And I think it's important
to continue this work.
So, I am heartened by this.
I think we're on the
trail of something.
So, the only way to do it
is to get back out there.
- Let's dig.
- Let's do it.
DOUG: Go, team.
- RICK: Thanks, Marty.
- MARTY: Yep. See you.
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
GARY: Wow, there's
nothing in here.
This is quiet.
At Smith's Cove,
Craig Tester supervises
the excavation
to locate the vertical shaft
and believed flood tunnel,
an excavation which experienced
a potentially dangerous
cave-in just one day ago.
CRAIG: Hey, Billy.
BILLY: Hey. So, my thoughts are
we just go further in the center
to see if there was any rocks.
CRAIG: Okay. Well, I'm
good with digging deeper
and see how it feels.
- Right.
- Yeah, we're going to weigh it
on the outside now,
just in case that caves.
- Okay.
- Yep.
CRAIG: I'm hoping we
can find a vertical shaft.
At the surface, it was just
a small mound of rocks,
and below that,
it was a rock-filled hole,
but it went down
a significant depth.
So, we're looking
for small boulders
as we're digging down
deeper and deeper.
But one concern we do have is
the sides might cave in.
So, we're watching out very
closely for safety purposes.
See the beam that
fell in in that corner?
BILLY: Yeah.
CRAIG: It is
still kind of in line
where Steve put that orange mark
for the potential flood tunnel.
BILLY: Yeah, it is
in line where that is.
CRAIG: Might be able to test it
and get some good
dendro dates off of it.
BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: More wood planking,
found over 30 feet
below the beach?
Is it possible
that Billy Gerhardt
has just unearthed
another clue suggesting
that the flood tunnel
may be located nearby?
CRAIG: Any time we do
anything on Oak Island,
you never know what's
original and what's searcher,
and that's the whole key
is distinguishing the two.
So, anything you can start
dating helps us determine
the time frame of the
wood going in place
and if it's associated
with the flood tunnel.
We've got to keep going.
Every time we make a scoop,
- we're finding something else.
- Yep.
That's for sure.
NARRATOR: While
the excavation continues
at Smith's Cove,
near the shoreline of Lot 5
on the western
side of the island...
JACK: We're looking
for a continuation
- of this stone feature?
- MOYA: Mm-hmm.
Yes. I would like to see
how it follows that way,
which I think is what
Laird's plan was.
Jack Begley and
archaeologist Moya MacDonald
are proceeding with a
methodical investigation
of a large, rounded
stone foundation.
A foundation where the team
has uncovered compelling clues,
such as mortar-like soil,
matching other samples
that were collected
from nearly 100 feet deep
in the Money Pit area,
as well as a cut silver coin
and iron tools that
have been dated
to the 17th century.
We're not quite
down too far just yet,
so we could find something else.
Yeah?
These discoveries and more
have made the team
speculate that this feature
served as a staging ground
for whomever
constructed the Money Pit.
Now, they hope to
find proof that will reveal
just who the creators of
both features may have been.
This looks kind of cool.
Nice.
- Good find?
- Yeah, it looks like a...
like a bottle rim.
It's probably a wine bottle.
ETHAN: Oh, nice.
Yeah, we found
a large bottle base
- just over by those two trees.
- Okay.
MOYA: I haven't seen a top yet
as long as I've been
working on Lot 5,
so this is really interesting.
Great.
MOYA: Great start to the day.
JACK: Lot 5 has been
a horde of artifacts.
I think what happened on Lot 5
not only fits right into a
deposit in the Money Pit,
but I think they
covered over the area,
trying to hide it.
We're off to a good start.
MOYA: I think so.
Oh. This is cool.
Just popped out of nowhere.
Hey, Jack, do you
want to come see this?
JACK: Ooh. What is that?
JACK: What'd you find?
NARRATOR: While investigating
the large stone foundation
near the shoreline of
Lot 5 on Oak Island...
It looks like a
piece of strapping.
Archaeologist Moya
MacDonald has just made
a potentially
important discovery.
It's interesting
'cause it's bent at
kind of a 90-degree angle.
JACK: Now, "strapping,"
you mean like metal strapping
to keep a box
or a barrel together?
Yeah, it looks like it.
It's straight, so I'm
not too keen on saying
- it's from a barrel, but...
- So, maybe
- a small box or a chest.
- Maybe a small box.
Well, Laird had suggested
that there could be
some type of a cache
related to the structures
somewhere around here.
And maybe, that's a bit of
strapping to a box
as part of the cache.
'Cause we did find some coins.
Actually, a fair
amount of coins,
just right from this area.
- Yeah, that's true.
- Who knows what
they were keeping
in a box or a chest?
NARRATOR: Could
Jack's notion be correct?
Is it possible that this
piece of metal strapping
may have been part of a
chest that contained valuables?
If so, might the chest
have been moved
somewhere for safe keeping,
such as in the Money Pit?
Or might it be
buried even deeper
within this mysterious
foundation?
It will help define
the story a little better.
Yeah, figure out who
was actually here.
Yeah, we still don't
know, and their purpose
is unknown, too. I just think
it's treasure-related.
We had some really
good finds on Lot 5.
Buttons and coins
and the lead piece,
beads and ammunition.
We don't find the
type of artifacts
in such concentration
anywhere else on the island.
And so, it makes you wonder
could there be a hidden treasure
just right around here?
- JACK: Hey, Helen.
- HELEN: Hi.
- MOYA: Oh, hi, Helen.
- Hi, guys. How's it going?
- ETHAN: Good.
- MOYA: Well, we found
some interesting things
I wanted to show you.
So, first cool thing
we found so far has been
this bottle rim.
Yeah. So, this, the, um,
the paler olive glass,
should we say, um,
indicative of the
French wine bottles.
I think we had a
couple of pieces here,
like over in that unit, and
we've definitely had some
up at the other feature as well.
JACK: It shows that they were
in use at the same time,
since we're finding the
same artifacts in both features.
RICK: It's amazing,
the progress on Lot 5.
We have found
artifacts from England
and France, roughly from
the 1600s to the early 1800s.
That's incredibly intriguing
because I believe there was
an expansive effort over time
by groups, entities, to hide
something of great value.
And on Lot 5,
I think there's a richness now,
a much more complex
story developing.
So, we had that one,
and then we found
a piece of strapping
that we thought was
interesting 'cause it's kind of
bent in a 90-degree angle there.
HELEN: That may just be
damage from being in the ground.
It's hard to say.
So, I think if we took this back
and put it in the CT scanner,
we might be able to see
if this is cracked, which means
-it would have been
damaged -JACK: Mm-hmm.
Or if it was intentionally
- bent over.
- JACK: 'Cause if that is
an intentional 90-degree turn,
then it would be
on, like, a chest
- or some sort of a box.
- HELEN: Something like that.
Yeah, you know, the strapping
around the edge of it. Yeah.
JACK: If that is
some type of a cache,
this is the area
where we found a lot of coins.
It's possible.
I have known, like,
coins been found before,
like, you can find a
little stack of them.
Like, people will bury
them or sometimes put them
under floorboards, so they're
here around the outside.
JACK: What were they doing here?
And why did they choose Lot 5,
and the deeper
Money Pit soils, too?
And why dig such
a large foundation?
- JACK: Then bury it?
- HELEN: Mm-hmm.
It's why I think
there's another story
that we haven't uncovered here,
that relates to
the treasure hunt,
and maybe a
hidden chapter of it.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay. So, you guys are just
continuing down in this
gravelly layer right now.
Take this down as much as we can
and then try and
define this line of rocks.
- Mm-hmm.
- HELEN: Okay.
Keep going, find more stuff.
- That's all we can do.
- JACK: Yeah.
See you, Helen.
NARRATOR: As the
investigation on Lot 5 continues...
CRAIG: Hey, Billy.
Anything new down there?
There's still something
going on in this side.
NARRATOR: Craig Tester
and other members of the team
dig deeper near the
beach at Smith's Cove
in search of the vertical shaft
and the legendary flood tunnel
that feeds seawater into
the original Money Pit.
BILLY: You've
got the three rocks
and then, like,
there's a rock here.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
BILLY: We got quite a bit of
water coming out underneath.
Small, quite a few cobbles.
But, I mean, you don't
normally see one, two, three,
four rocks, and then I pulled
a couple out from there.
There's something
going on there.
CRAIG: Yeah.
- Keep digging.
- Yeah.
CRAIG: As we found these
boulders, the question is
is it part of the
vertical shaft?
I don't know. I hope so.
You got to be patient, you
got to follow the process.
Um, you know, dig deeper.
Those rocks are interesting.
I'm not sure what
they mean, but...
BILLY: Me, neither.
You notice, a bunch more
cobbles, this size,
just rolled out from
underneath them.
That's pretty
odd there, I think.
CRAIG: Yep.
You know, everything
still seems to be
coming right under
the center line
that Steve put in there
for the potential flood tunnel.
You know, the Restall indicates
that original people put
that 18-inch vertical shaft
full with rocks in place.
If it was 18 inches in diameter,
with rocks, I mean, I
wonder if, down deeper,
it could be larger,
- like we're seeing there.
- Right,
- lined with boulders.
- Yep.
It could be it, it could
have been a vertical shaft.
The stacked rocks
allow the water
to transfer underneath it.
It could be the type of rock
formation we're going through.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the large stones
the team has just unearthed
are part of the man-made feature
known as the vertical shaft?
If so, that could mean
that they are on the verge
of locating and cutting
off the booby trap
that has stopped searchers
from recovering the fabled treasure
for more than two centuries.
I think somebody
stacked those in there.
CRAIG: Yeah.
BILLY: That's the
most interesting thing
we saw so far, right there.
- CRAIG: Gentlemen.
- SCOTT: Hey, guys.
RICK: Hey.
We're digging a hole.
- It's quite a hole.
- NARRATOR: After being alerted
by Craig Tester that
possible evidence
of a man-made flood
tunnel has been uncovered
over 30 feet below the
beach at Smith's Cove,
Rick Lagina and
Scott Barlow arrive
to inspect the potentially
historic discovery.
CRAIG: So, what we're
finding is, along this wall,
there's some rocks
that appear to be
probably below where, uh,
the boards were that we found.
BILLY: Each rock was
touching, you know,
like... it was, like, they were
stacked in, and underneath,
was quite a few
fist-sized rocks in there.
What do you make of it, Craig?
Uh, I don't know.
It was definitely odd,
'cause you look around
anywhere else and you
don't see rocks like that.
So, to me, it was man-made.
So, what... where
is the elevation
- where the stones were?
- BILLY: Right-right where the water
is coming in the trench there.
RICK: Oh, there, yeah.
Everything seems to be
lining up with that center line
that Steve put in for
the potential flood tunnel.
SCOTT: Yep.
Yeah. Nobody's dug more dirt
on the south shore
than you have.
What are those rocks
doing down there?
BILLY: Those
rocks definitely were
manipulated to
be there like that
- for... without...
- SCOTT: All in a row.
Yeah, I'm saying 110%.
I'll go more than 100.
RICK: Wow.
There's a whole
bunch of clues here,
- SCOTT: Yeah.
- We just got to put it together.
RICK: One wouldn't expect to
see boulders aligned like this.
There's a linearity to them,
which Mother Nature doesn't do.
If you confirm the
location of the flood tunnel
and project that line,
somewhere on that line
should be the original Money Pit.
So, it's exciting.
I firmly believe Restalls
were onto something
- with-with their work.
- I agree.
SCOTT: So, that's
why it's important,
I think, at this
point, not to stop.
If there's something here,
this is where
we're gonna find it.
If it really is a flood tunnel,
means there is a Money Pit.
Think of the laborious effort,
but more... even important
than the laborious effort
- is the plan.
- Mm-hmm.
A plan. A well engineered,
well thought-out,
very cogent application
of money, time,
material and effort
to do one thing and
one thing only, maybe.
And that's why this
story has endured
and that's why it continues
to be so fascinating.
Mm-hmm.
There's only one thing
to do. Keep digging.
- CRAIG: Okay.
- Yep.
NARRATOR: As Billy
Gerhardt digs for more evidence
of the believed flood
tunnel at Smith's Cove...
later that afternoon...
RICK: Welcome to the
w*r room, everybody.
Jan, welcome back.
I believe you have
some results in the...
- from your work in the Money Pit.
- Yes.
NARRATOR: Rick, Craig
and other members of the team
gather in the w*r room
with ground-penetrating
radar expert Jan Francke
as Marty Lagina joins
them via video conference.
JAN: Let's take
a look at this data.
NARRATOR: After
processing the data
that he collected from a
borehole known as HN-16,
Jan has created a visual
model of any anomalies,
such as potential
voids, tunnels or objects
in the so-called Golden Egg,
where high-trace
evidence of precious metals
were previously detected
between 80 and
So, what we're looking
at here is the radar profile.
It seems that our
last good reflection
is at about 12 feet.
Okay? So, we'll call that
the-the approximate distance
that we can get
away from the hole
- and still see something.
- RICK: How far are we
- from the Garden Shaft?
- Probably 18 feet.
JAN: Right, so,
when we're looking
at borehole radar results,
we're looking for anything
that really pops out.
As we scroll further
down the hole,
- we get this.
- RICK: Mm-hmm.
JAN: And that target,
absolutely, is characteristic
of a discrete void space.
- Wow.
- RICK: How far down are you here?
That's around 127
feet from the surface.
NARRATOR: A discrete void?
Meaning that some
kind of open cavern,
structure or container
appears to lie buried 127 feet
underground in the Golden Egg?
If so, might it be the
source of the precious metals
that have been detected
through groundwater testing
at that same approximate depth?
If you look on the screen,
you see this
upside-down horseshoe.
And that tells us
it's a discrete target,
- an individual target.
- Oh.
This is something
that is sitting
about three or four
feet from the borehole.
Now, we have nothing to
compare it against, right?
But it seems, just
from experience,
that we do see some
ringing, or reverberations,
which suggests that
it's probably full of water.
So, it could be a tunnel
or even a flood tunnel?
Probably not.
It's not salt water
because it's such
a strong signal.
If that was salt water, we
would see a shadow zone.
- Okay.
- Yeah. Right? And we don't.
We see really good
penetration through that,
- so that tells me it's probably fresh water.
- SCOTT: Okay.
- JAN: Yep.
- MARTY: And it's about
three to four feet away
from that hole, yes?
Uh, well, it's a little hard to
tell exactly where it starts,
but let's say three
feet on average.
And it's not a layer of geology;
that would look very different.
This is a target, so
it-it's a discrete object.
So, this could be the
fabled offset chamber.
JACK: Really?
- JAN: Sure.
- [laughter]
JACK: That's awesome.
MARTY: This could be
the fabled offset chamber.
Uh, and nothing would
make me happier than that,
even if you dig it
up before I get there.
- [chuckles]
- TERRY: Hear, hear.
NARRATOR: It is an exciting
moment in the w*r room
for Rick, Marty and
the Oak Island team
as ground-penetrating
radar expert Dr. Jan Francke
has just revealed that an
open void has been detected
at a depth of 127 feet
in the so-called Golden Egg,
the same region where
recent groundwater tests
have identified high traces of
gold, silver and other metals.
MARTY: Does anybody
in the room know
of any searchers who were
messing around at that depth?
No. Nothing in that area.
MARTY: So, it's pretty
exciting. I mean, I don't know.
Jan, I hope you're
right. I don't know.
- How right are you?
- [chuckling]
I can only show you what's,
uh, it says on the screen here.
There is a discrete target here.
I think we just widen the hole
and send Jack down there.
- [laughing]
- Yeah! Let's do it.
MARTY [voice-over]:
All of the sudden, we have
a new piece of data,
a possible void.
It might mean that
we're close to evidence
of the original deposit.
So, am I excited this
could be the year? Yes.
Well, what are we
gonna do then, guys?
Are we gonna drill another
one right near there?
- What are we gonna do?
- First, I'll make sure
that Dr. Spooner has finished
collecting his new
groundwater samples in the area.
Yes, definitely.
CRAIG: Well, I think
this is great results.
I mean, the tool's
definitely working.
- We're finding a void.
- MARTY: Absolutely. Hey, look,
we started this year
and I was super hopeful
that the water analysis
would really narrow down
where the metals
are coming from.
You know, we got the
Golden Egg, which is very cool.
And now, if this is correct,
it's about as narrowed
down as it can get.
Within a three-foot radius?
We've never had
anything like that.
RICK: I think Jan well and
truly believes in his analysis.
Look, the man has
done this work, literally,
across the globe and
h-has had success.
This area in particular
is underexplored,
or underinvestigated at depth.
The water sampling program
has indicated metals on the area.
So, there's a lot of
reasons to be hopeful.
Look, uh, how... If
anybody around the table
is disappointed in
a legitimate target,
uh, then, we all
need to go home,
- right?
- [chuckling]
And maybe this discovery
will allow us to go home.
So, you know, let's
develop a strategy
by which we can exploit
this possible target.
It's all good news. We've
just got to stay the course.
So, Jan, again, we
want to say thank you.
- And, uh...
- Thanks for having me out.
Get out there
and start drilling.
- Can do.
- Let's do it. All right.
- See you, Marty.
- See you, Marty.
MARTY: Go get
'em, guys. Go get 'em.
NARRATOR: As another week
comes to a close on Oak Island,
new potential avenues
have been opened
that may lead Rick,
Marty, Craig and their team
to the ultimate discovery.
After identifying a massive
source of possible treasure
more than 100 feet deep
in the Money Pit area
and placing an X on the spot
where it has remained hidden
for more than two centuries,
is it now just a matter of time
before Oak Island's secrets
are finally revealed?
Or might a mysterious
and deadly line of defense
that is much more powerful
than a man-made flood tunnel
stand in their way?
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12x05 - A Flood of Secrets
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Follows brothers Marty and Rick as they search for the infamous treasure on Oak Island.
Follows brothers Marty and Rick as they search for the infamous treasure on Oak Island.