11x16 - Dark and Stormy
Posted: 04/17/24 08:32
Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...
- That's deep.
- If it dates to 1200
on those logs, that's the same
as the paved area.
The Money Pit samples
are the most interesting samples
that we have.
Where do you think
that sample comes from?
Southeast France.
Remarkable.
We're on it.
I see something round, mate.
- It's got a design on it.
- It does.
The hurricane is coming.
There's no denying it.
This could be the most
dangerous day on this island.
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 d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
before the treasure
can be found.
This is a perfect day
to be in the swamp,
- isn't it?
- Yeah.
This is a deep part
of the swamp here.
Yeah, it's complicated, too.
And that's exactly
why you're here.
To uncomplicate this for us.
Despite the ominous weather,
as a new morning begins
on Oak Island,
the hope
for a breakthrough discovery
that could help solve
a 229-year-old mystery
remains far from dampened for
brothers Rick and Marty Lagina
and their team
as they continue investigating
near the middle
of the triangle-shaped swamp.
Billy, can you fill us in
on what you've seen here?
What we're seeing is
we have a high layer of stumps.
Trees wouldn't grow that big
unless the environment
was somewhat dry.
We could probably take
a cut through there,
a cut through here,
we'd probably find more.
- Okay.
- It's a beautiful section
to understand
how this area developed.
So, why don't we see
if we can expose one?
- Okay.
- All right, let's step back.
That's a big stump.
One week ago, while excavating
in this deep region
of the brackish bog...
It's all uneven,
like it was axe-cut.
Members of the team
uncovered several
axe-cut tree stumps.
If that broke off,
the log should be laying
right there beside it, I think.
Curiously, because trees
are unable to grow naturally
in swamp environments,
these finds offered
critical evidence
to support the belief
of geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner,
that the swamp could be
an artificially made feature.
There's your other layer
of stump there.
There's a big something.
Now, as the team unearths
more potentially ancient stumps
from the middle of the swamp,
Dr. Spooner will collect samples
for carbon-14 testing
in order to hopefully determine
just when this area
of the swamp was created.
So, the question, I think,
for me, is whether or not
those stumps date out
to the same as the paved area.
Remember, we found wood
that dated at 1200
- within the paved area.
- Right.
In recent years,
the Oak Island team
has uncovered
numerous stone structures
in the swamp.
These include the potentially
and a stone walkway
leading to a massive boulder
in the southeast corner,
as well as a massive paved area
in the middle of the bog
that Dr. Spooner
was able to carbon-date
to approximately 1200 AD.
These discoveries have made
Rick Lagina believe
that the Oak Island mystery
may be connected
to a generational conspiracy
that was carried out in stages
over a number of centuries.
What happened here?
Obviously,
the stumps can be dated,
and hopefully those dates
will align with the man-made
constructs that we have found.
Stone road, stone path,
paved area,
because we have retrieved dates
from those.
We need to do our homework
and be patient.
I think there are
some answers here.
If we get dates to 1200
on those logs at the bottom,
that would equate
to the paved area.
That means that there's a forest
at this location
at that time, so...
- Yeah.
- At this stage,
what we've got to do
is get dry weather
to actually effectively
sample this.
- Yeah.
- Well, all I know is,
- good luck with the dry weather.
- Yep.
We have a hurricane
on the horizon and,
- bad weather this weekend.
- Yep.
Hurricane Lee
is on the near horizon,
heading towards Nova Scotia.
We have no need of a hurricane
visiting the island.
The potential problems
are quite extensive.
We don't know
how impactful it will be.
Will it be Category 1?
A tropical storm?
Category 2, 3, 4?
We'll have to wait and see.
I'm just gonna grab my tools,
get some sample bags
- so we can get these samples.
- Yep. - Okay.
Yeah, this will be
very interesting,
to see what happens here.
While Dr. Spooner
collects his samples
in the swamp...
- Hey, Roger.
- Hey, Scott.
- Little bit of excitement around here.
- Yeah.
The boys have
actually now found,
the wood that we're looking for.
- Yeah.
- In the Money Pit area,
Scott Barlow meets
with Roger Fortin
of Dumas Contracting Limited
for an update
on an operation
that the team hopes
will soon lead them to a vast
cache of buried treasure.
From the pictures I saw
from Ronnie, it's,
it looks like,
those timbers a-are pretty old.
They're all rounded out.
It really motivated the guys.
Once they had...
- Yeah.
- Once they, once they saw that,
they were just like
tunnel rats down there.
They were moving clay
like you wouldn't believe,
- trying to get a visual on it.
- Yeah.
Definitely wood.
- You can see the end.
- Last week,
after nearly two years
of tireless effort,
the team from Dumas
was finally able to extend
the mid-18th century structure
known as the Garden Shaft
down to a depth of 95 feet,
where they exposed the top
of a believed
seven-foot-high wooden tunnel.
A tunnel that runs due west
into the so-called Baby Blob,
where water testing
in previously drilled boreholes
has identified
high traces of gold,
silver and other metals
between 80 and 120 feet
underground.
Hold it there. That's good.
Now, in the coming days,
the team will install one
additional section, or set,
to the base of the Garden Shaft
to breach the tunnel
and find out not only
where it leads but also
what it might contain.
This is all about anticipation.
I mean, we're close.
We have physical evidence
that the tunnel is real.
It's been a long process,
almost two years' worth
of effort, between
the planning and the execution
and, ultimately, the successful
completion of the task at hand.
Now we need to understand
its relevance to the mystery.
We've got a lot to learn
from this tunnel.
- Sounds good.
- See how it goes.
Looking... I'm anxious
to get down there.
- All right.
- Right on.
- Talk to you after.
- Yeah, I'll talk to you later.
As the operation continues
in the Garden Shaft,
later that afternoon...
- Good day.
- Good day, sir.
Hello, Dr. Satkoski.
Welcome to the w*r room.
We really appreciate you
coming to us.
We look forward
to what you have to say.
Thank you for having me.
I'm-I'm really happy to be here
and-and share these exciting
results with you today.
- Yep.
- It's our pleasure.
Rick, Marty, Craig Tester
and other members of the team
have gathered in the w*r room
for a meeting
via video conference
with Dr. Spooner's colleague
geoscientist Dr. Aaron Satkoski.
Today, we're gonna learn about
a new science and new data,
and the doctor was kind enough
to run some analysis,
specifically about where
certain artifacts came from.
Exactly.
Over the past several years,
between the team's
core-drilling operations.
- Make hole.
- And the installation
of a number
of large steel caissons
all across the Money Pit area,
they have recovered evidence
of two potentially
man-made chambers
outside of the Baby Blob
that also contain traces
of precious metals.
One is located
some 180 feet deep
in a large void between
boreholes H-8 and RF-1,
where a possibly ancient
pickax was also recovered
and the other
was found at a depth
of approximately 150 feet,
which the team has dubbed
Aladdin's cave.
Dr. Satkoski,
please proceed.
Okay, so, isotope tracer work
is slightly more nuanced
than o-other type of analyses
that might be done.
Now, after conducting
isotope testing on wood samples
that were unearthed
from these locations,
Dr. Satkoski has prepared
a report that he believes
could offer new clues
to help the team solve
the Oak Island mystery.
The main isotopes
that I wanted to focus on
are the strontium and
the oxygen isotope composition
in the wood samples
that you sent.
So, strontium
is a metallic element
that can be used
like a fingerprint
in combination with oxygen
to identify
where objects come from
in the, in the world.
Wow.
- That's kind of interesting.
- Yeah.
Yes.
So, if we look
at the Money Pit samples...
So, these two samples,
Yeah, that's where
it gets really interesting,
because RF-1, we still believe,
was closest
to the original Money Pit.
- Yep.
- The next slide I have
is the isotope values,
so we can really look
at the data.
And what you can see is,
we're measuring oxygen
and strontium in the wood
samples that I've plotted here.
So, these two wood samples,
they both plot
in a very similar spot.
These samples, I would argue,
are the most interesting samples
that we have.
They plot furthest away
from maritime Canada
and Northern Canada.
So, our only option is Europe.
Dang.
That's really interesting
and baffling.
So where do you think
that sample comes from?
Southeastern France,
Northern Italy or, you know,
coastal Norway. In those areas,
that's where it overlaps.
That sounds good enough to me.
That sounds remarkable.
Our only option is Europe.
Southeast France.
Northern Italy or, you know,
coastal Norway. In those areas,
that's where it overlaps.
That sounds good enough to me.
Good enough.
- Sounds very good.
- Sounds remarkable.
In the w*r room,
geoscientist Dr. Aaron Satkoski
has just shared
a stunning scientific report
that the wood recovered
nearly 180 feet deep
from borehole RF-1
in the Money Pit area
likely originated in Europe.
A lot of old-looking timber
came out of that caisson.
Yeah. It's really
interesting to note
that the areas that Dr. Satkoski
are giving us for the possible
origin of these samples
is Southeastern France.
And the idea that the mines
where the lead
from the lead cross came from.
And then Italy.
I mean, we saw a lot in Italy
that we feel could relate
to the Oak Island mystery.
Yes.
When we went to Viterbo,
Gianluca told us
that a lot of holy relics
came from Jerusalem
through Italy,
and then off
to other regions, like France.
Buongiorno.
Over the last decade,
as Rick, Marty, Craig
and the team...
This way.
Have been digging into
both the ground and the past,
in their efforts to
solve the Oak Island mystery,
they have visited numerous sites
in both France and Italy...
Hey, guys.
Come take a look at this.
That served as
strongholds between the 12th
and 14th centuries
for the Knights Templar.
It is the belief of numerous
researchers that members of this
medieval Christian order
were the ones who carried out
a generational conspiracy to
hide vast riches and priceless
religious relics on Oak Island.
Hey, Rick, check this out.
That's cool.
We have seen this symbol before.
- H+O Stone.
- Yeah.
In addition to seeing
many stone carvings
on these journeys
that were identical to symbols
that have been found
over the last two centuries
by searchers on
or near Oak Island,
astonishingly, in 2017,
the team also unearthed a lead
cross on the island itself,
made from lead
that was scientifically traced
to a 14th-century mine
in Southern France.
Those are really
provocative locations,
considering everything
we found on the island,
and everything
we've been researching.
Is it possible that the team
has found more evidence
right in the Money Pit area
that the Templar order
really could be connected to
the Oak Island mystery?
This has opened our minds
to the possibilities
of even revisiting the areas
that these samples
have been retrieved from,
like RF-1.
I think it puts a renewed
interest in that location.
Yeah. Back to... back we go.
We just need to go deeper.
Even though we're in
the Garden Shaft
and even though we're drilling
around the 95-foot tunnel
and the Baby Blob,
this information is
exceedingly important because
you have incredibly interesting
samples from RF-1.
And you have some clarity about
where they might have come from.
Different geographic regions
associated with Templars.
Could it possibly reflect
multiple treasure depositions?
It may change the search agenda
as we currently understand it.
Thank you and we look forward
to our next communication.
Absolutely.
I look forward to it. Thank you.
The following morning
as the operation
to breach the possible
treasure tunnel continues
in the Garden Shaft...
F.75-8.25.
Pretty much what we expected.
Backfill all the way down
to 88 feet.
More than 50 feet
to the southwest...
- Hey, guys.
- Hey, Marty. - Hi, Marty.
- How you doing?
- What's going on today?
- Well, we're trying to get to the bottom of RF-1.
- Okay.
Marty Lagina joins other
members of the team
where a new borehole,
known as F.75-8.25,
is being drilled within
the previously excavated
eight-foot diameter.
RF-1 caisson,
in the hopes of finding
additional clues, and hopefully
evidence of valuables.
The key to this whole drill
program, or this endeavor,
is to get down and see what's
between 205 and the bedrock.
- Yes.
- Yes.
The initial results drilling
the original RF-1
were very interesting.
All kinds of things
that made me think
at the time we were
in the original Money Pit.
But we did stop
somewhat short of the bedrock.
There's, like, ten feet
or 15 feet of material
we never got to.
So we're gonna sort of
re-drill RF-1 to see what
we might've missed
with the canister.
Maybe this re-drilling
in RF-I would give us a place to
put down a canister
that goes even deeper.
We need to find
the best target because
we are running out of
the usual things.
Money, time...
So, okay.
Steve, I know you have to go.
And I got some stuff to do, too.
- We'll be back. Thank you.
- Okay, guys.
- We'll keep in touch. Take care.
- See you later.
As the core-drilling
operation proceeds
in the Money Pit area,
on Lot 5, located near the shore
on the western side
of the island...
We have a hurricane on the way,
so let's try to get as much
work done as we can,
and then we'll see
what we can do
- after the hurricane's passed.
- Yeah.
- Gary!
- Hello, mate.
Metal detection expert
Gary Drayton joins Jack Begley,
Jamie Kouba and Fiona Steele
as they continue investigating
the large foundation
that was discovered
earlier this year beneath
a circular stone structure.
We're trying to figure why they
brought deep Money Pit soil in
and packed it into
this portion of the wall.
Like, 104 feet down.
- That's crazy.
- Yeah.
Since the team purchased Lot 5
and began searching for clues
in this feature one year ago,
they have made
astonishing discoveries
that include metal tools
and various kinds of pottery.
A lead barter token
that is a compositional match
to the 14th-century
lead cross...
It reminds me of, like,
a crude mortar or cement.
And a man-made
cement-like substance
that has also been found
approximately 100 feet deep
around the tunnel
below the Garden Shaft.
Now, Gary is going to scan
the rocks and spoils
that have recently been removed
from the feature
I got my big coil on,
so depth is not a problem.
In order to look
for more clues as to how
it might be connected
to the Money Pit.
That sounds great.
We have got a hit
right on the top here, Jack.
Do you want me to dig it out,
or do you just want
to pinpoint it?
- It's loose stuff.
- Yeah, I'll try pinpointing it.
That sounds really good.
That is not iron.
That's nonferrous.
Let's see what we got.
What have we got waiting for us?
Yep. It's in my hand.
All right.
It's in my hand.
Make sure that is it.
Yep. And I see the edges
of it, mate.
Let's see what we've got.
I see what it is, mate!
In the Oak Island
Research Center,
Rick Lagina has just revealed
an astonishing carbon-14 report,
which suggests
that the axe-cut tree stump
that was found in the middle
of the triangle-shaped swamp
could be
more than 700 years old.
This is meaningful
if it came from a bona fide,
- cut stump.
- It did.
Well, if it's from a cut stump,
then somebody cut it.
We're coming to believe
that the swamp was
artificially manipulated.
And we know...
From Dr. Spooner's work
on the paved area...
That construct, is 1200.
Rick, you've come to the belief
that there's been
substantial periods
of activity here.
Daisy-chaining
each other with gaps.
This would support that.
This would, very much so.
So I think it's appropriate
at this point in time,
that we build off
of what Professor Gaspani
told us last year in terms
of Nolan's Cross, right?
One year ago,
during their visit in Italy
to investigate
possible connections
between the medieval order
of the Knights Templar
and the Oak Island mystery,
Rick,
along with members of the team
and researcher
Emiliano Sacchetti
met with archeoastronomy expert
Professor Adriano Gaspani.
Based on Professor Gaspani's
more than three decades
of expertise,
the megalithic formation
of six boulders on Oak Island
known as Nolan's Cross was
likely created centuries ago
by positioning the massive
boulders on the surface
to align with specific stars
in the night sky.
And by studying the historic
positions of those stars,
Professor Gaspani was able to
calculate the approximate date
when the cross
may have been created.
Wow.
We have
Professor Gaspani's assessment
that someone was here
in the 1200s building something.
And now we have other
human activity
that date to the same time frame.
It's very possible then,
that human beings were here.
What is being
understood by these
processes is that
the work in the swamp perhaps
did start very, very early,
i.e. 1200s.
And if that is
the point of beginning,
it opens up the door
to all kinds of possibilities
in terms of theory
and the who, what, when,
where, why and how of things.
There was a determined effort
on the part of groups to conduct
some enterprise here that it may
have been done incrementally.
It stretches the mind
to think that something was
that important to have been
done over centuries.
So in order to properly,
I'll say, utilize.
Professor Gaspani's expertise
and his knowledge,
I think it's imperative
on our part that we expand
upon that information.
And one of the ways we can
do that, in my opinion is,
we know there are two other
stone constructs on the island.
The stone triangle
and the stone cairns
is what Fred delineated
on his map...
He called them "pirate piles."
In 1897,
treasure hunters were astonished
to discover
an equilateral triangle
composed of beach stones
located on the south shore
which pointed due north
toward the original Money Pit.
While the feature's
exact position was
plotted on numerous surveys,
unfortunately,
it was later destroyed
during the massive
digging operations
conducted by
Robert Dunfield in 1965.
However, the remnants of several
other man-made stone features
remain nearly a half mile
to the northeast on Lot 15.
First documented
by Fred Nolan in the 1960s,
the so-called stone cairns,
or pirate piles,
were five pyramid-shaped
constructs,
that Fred believed
pointed directly
toward
the triangle-shaped swamp.
What's left up there?
- Refresh my memory.
- Very little.
The features themselves,
the bases
- of the features are there.
- The bases are there.
I think we should
provide Professor Gaspani
with GPS coordinates
for the stone cairns
and the stone triangle.
And ask him, "Can you make
any alignments to the stars?"
Rick, I couldn't
possibly agree more.
I'm wholly on board with this.
Let's do it.
Could Rick's notion be correct
that if Professor
Adriano Gaspani analyzes
the positions
of the stone cairns
and the stone triangle,
that may be able to determine
just when those features were
originally created?
So if you guys provide me
some data, some measurements,
I'm more than happy to share it
with Professor Gaspani
as soon as I see him.
We'll send you on
the information ASAP.
Please thank him upfront
for all of his work to date,
and we look forward to continued
interaction with you.
That's great.
Perfect, thank you.
- Goodbye.
- Ciao.
Later that afternoon...
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Craig.
No gold?
Not yet.
In the Money Pit
area, Craig Tester
joins geologist Terry Matheson
and Oak Island historian
Charles Barkhouse
as they continue monitoring
the core-drilling operation
in borehole F.75-8.25.
- How deep are we?
- We're down 178 so far.
We hope to follow it all the way
down to the bottom, Craig.
But we've been in and out
of a little bit of wood.
And that wood,
we have right there.
- That came from...
- 155 and a half to 157.
Right.
Okay.
And we did get a little bit
of wood from 178, too.
- Well, that's deeper than normal.
- Yes.
So, where did it come from?
Possible evidence
of a wooden structure?
Unearthed at a depth
of 178 feet?
Could it be related
to the wood sample
previously recovered
from this area,
which originated in Europe?
If so,
what else might they find
as they drill
deeper underground?
We have a core.
Hey, Adam. What do you got?
Ooh. Here we go.
- 199. Thank you.
- 199.
I'm just gonna drain this.
Thank you, Adam.
So...
Wow.
A lot of PVC pipe.
F.75-8.25 down 199.
It's discouraging, the idea
that we're passing
through an old borehole.
Unfortunately,
the fact that the drill
has encountered
fragments of PVC pipe
means that it has
veered off target
and into
a previously drilled borehole.
But just what did the drill hit
that changed its course?
Was it simply
a large rock in the soil?
Or could it have been
an impenetrable object,
or container, that holds
something of great value?
So, anyway, we'll check the map
and see what boreholes
we might be able to identify
and get to the bottom
of the RF-1 caisson.
All right.
Okay, Terry, we'll move on.
Hey, Roger.
- Hey, how's it going, Alex?
- Good. Good to see you again.
Before another productive day
comes to an end on Oak Island
I think we're just coming
down on the tunnel, right?
Well, exactly.
Alex Lagina arrives
in the Money Pit area
for a progress update
on the operation to extend
the Garden Shaft
into the possible
treasure tunnel
located more
than 95 feet underground.
So, we're right now...
The shaft bottom is at 95.
And we dug about
two and a half feet,
so I'd say 97, 98 feet.
So we just finished
installing the staging in there
to make it safer for the guys.
Yep, that looks like part
of the shoe going down now.
- Is that right?
- That's right, yep.
So, they've got the two panels,
the two end panels
that go on the wall plates.
We're gonna add
a shoe section to it.
So, what we're trying to do
is stop anything from coming in.
Right.
It's like building
a ship in a bottle.
Yeah, it is. That's a good,
that's a good metaphor, yeah.
In order to safely extend
the Garden Shaft
to the top
of the mysterious tunnel,
the team from Dumas is
constructing and installing
a protective steel and wooden
frame, known as a shoe,
which will secure the base
of the structure
into the earth around the tunnel
and protect it from caving in.
So we've got a couple
of days of just
getting all that stuff done.
And then we'll
be back into digging.
The best-case scenario
is if the tunnel is open,
it might lead us to
the Money Pit and this treasure.
I mean, from the-the look
of what I saw on that timber,
it looks pretty original.
- It looks old?
- Yeah.
It's definitely not something
that came out of a mill, there.
Right. And all of it means
we're a step closer
to finally actually
visually seeing
some of these, structures
- that have been underground for hundreds of years.
- Well, exactly.
Well, we're all anxious
and we're all excited
and-and we all appreciate
the work you guys are doing.
Absolutely.
And I'll let you know as soon
as I see something
in there that looks like,
"Whoa, okay, guys,
you need to come and see this."
- Sounds good. Perfect. Thank you, Roger.
- Right on.
See you soon.
Absolutely,
we'll talk to you later.
The following morning...
Thanks, everybody,
for coming around
the w*r room table today.
And we've got
nothing but bad news.
Rick Lagina has called
an emergency w*r room meeting
with members of the team.
Hurricane's coming.
There's no denying it.
The problem with
Hurricane Lee that I see
for the island is the speed
that the storm is moving.
And this storm, the directions
are going 360 degrees
of wind, right?
So, everybody is going
to feel a piece of it.
Yeah.
Over the past 24 hours,
Hurricane Lee
has rapidly intensified
into a Category 5 storm system
with wind speeds that could
exceed 150 miles per hour.
After already causing
damage to Bermuda
and the Northeastern
United States,
it is now projected to reach
the Atlantic coast of Nova
Scotia in the coming days,
bringing with it
torrential rains, flooding
and potentially grave danger
to the province.
So, and we can just
cross our fingers
and hope that it all goes well,
that we stay safe here
and that everyone
in the area stays safe.
And if anybody in the local
area needs help,
you know, and they ask for help,
they should know that we'll
be there for them as well.
- Yep.
- Right? So...
We've all been here
during the storm before in 2019.
I think we all remember
the waves
breaking over the causeway.
There's no road under here.
Four years ago,
Hurricane Dorian
battered Oak Island
and the surrounding areas,
which severely damaged
the causeway
and structures
across the island.
With Hurricane Lee
now fast approaching,
the team is fearful
of the damage it could cause,
not only
to the ancient structures
in the swamp and on Lot 5,
but also to the Garden Shaft.
This could be the most
dangerous day on this island.
Yeah. Exactly.
The possible negative effects
on the search agenda
are quite extensive.
The swamp will refill
and we will be delayed.
We know that there's
been a problem
with water intruding
within the Garden Shaft.
Trees come down, power is lost
it-it affects everything.
I-I don't know where to go
with this discussion,
to be honest with you.
I think it's pretty apparent.
We're going
to have to shut down.
You know, we're going to have
to stop all the activities
to keep everybody safe.
I mean, they're, you know,
shutting down each night
when it might rain,
and then there's this,
this is completely different.
This is the first time
in w*r room history
that I'm going
to say this, and...
I-I don't want to be here.
I don't want to be here.
I don't see anything helpful
about the hurricane coming.
In the w*r room,
Rick Lagina and other members
of the team
are regrettably planning to
temporarily shut down
all search operations
on Oak Island
due to reports
that Hurricane Lee,
a Category 5 storm system,
will reach the eastern coast
of Nova Scotia
in a matter of days.
Bottom line is
first and foremost,
- everybody be safe, right?
- Yes.
The next thing that's
paramount of course,
making sure that we try
to protect the work
that's already
been accomplished.
Keep all the infrastructure
that's in place
up and ready to function when
the "good" weather comes back.
- Yeah.
- So, Laird,
why don't we start with you?
So, you'll take care
of your sites,
all your tools, everything?
Yeah. Exactly.
All we can do is batten down
our two sites with tarps,
so we can just protect them
as much as we can
but there's very little
we can do
to prevent water
getting in them.
We're just going to be
eyes-and-boots guys.
You need us to help,
we're at your disposal
to say, "You go do this.
You go do that."
Then, Roger, you're up next.
- What do you do?
- Yeah.
On our side,
it's not so much the wind,
it's the amount of rain.
That rain, obviously,
we're in a hole.
Water goes down the hole.
So, it's going to be like
Niagara Falls down there.
We're going to put the lids on.
We don't want the water
to fill up in the shaft
and go up to a height
that's maybe
going to cause us grief.
I will have a couple of guys
here keeping the water down.
Just pumping out
every two hours.
Start the pumps
and let the water go down.
Okey doke.
Billy, not much you can do
about water in the swamp.
No. Probably my biggest concern
is for the...
For the island overall.
We have a couple sections
of the swamp road
that are still narrow.
So, we have to make sure
that those are shored up
because we want to make sure
that the ocean doesn't breach.
I hope the island doesn't
take too much of a pounding
because we don't want
to continue to lose shoreline.
But it's going to be... the wind
is going to be a big thing here.
So, we'll-we'll cover
the whole island
and we'll just go area by area.
Just one other thing, from the,
you know, the big rain
we had months ago,
it washed out a lot of roads.
This storm may wash
them out again. So, even...
You know, you're thinking about
the island, you're driving here,
there's a number
of places where this road
has been undercut
and it could give out on you.
So, really watch out for that
when you're coming back.
Yeah. If you don't need to be
up during the storm, stay home.
I guess we do have
a full day ahead of us.
So, we should get started.
- Let's get some stuff done.
- Okay.
Sounds good.
- Everybody, stay safe.
- Yes.
There's no question
that safety is paramount.
You can't do anything
about Mother Nature.
What you can do is say,
you know what?
We're gonna deal
with these issues
and we're gonna
keep moving forward.
And that's what we intend to do.
You can see this
weather closing in, mate.
It's certainly been
a topsy-turvy year.
Bad luck happening
right at the right time
where it hampers your efforts.
I don't believe in curses.
But here we are
in the Garden Shaft,
maybe only feet above
some real answers.
All right, guys,
we're good to go.
I don't know why
mysterious setbacks
seem to occur at very
inopportune times, but they do.
It's just incredible, isn't it?
And it seems to be when
you're close to the treasure
is when it becomes
really impossible.
Let's get going.
For Rick, Marty,
Craig and their team...
That's the way to do it.
It has already been
an especially challenging year.
However, it has also been one
in which they have made
astonishing new discoveries
all across the island.
And now,
if the mysterious forces
that some believe
guard the island's secrets
are once again emerging in order
to try and stop their efforts,
perhaps it is yet another sign
of just how profound
the ultimate discovery
that awaits them
could actually be.
The Curse of Oak Island...
- That's deep.
- If it dates to 1200
on those logs, that's the same
as the paved area.
The Money Pit samples
are the most interesting samples
that we have.
Where do you think
that sample comes from?
Southeast France.
Remarkable.
We're on it.
I see something round, mate.
- It's got a design on it.
- It does.
The hurricane is coming.
There's no denying it.
This could be the most
dangerous day on this island.
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 d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
before the treasure
can be found.
This is a perfect day
to be in the swamp,
- isn't it?
- Yeah.
This is a deep part
of the swamp here.
Yeah, it's complicated, too.
And that's exactly
why you're here.
To uncomplicate this for us.
Despite the ominous weather,
as a new morning begins
on Oak Island,
the hope
for a breakthrough discovery
that could help solve
a 229-year-old mystery
remains far from dampened for
brothers Rick and Marty Lagina
and their team
as they continue investigating
near the middle
of the triangle-shaped swamp.
Billy, can you fill us in
on what you've seen here?
What we're seeing is
we have a high layer of stumps.
Trees wouldn't grow that big
unless the environment
was somewhat dry.
We could probably take
a cut through there,
a cut through here,
we'd probably find more.
- Okay.
- It's a beautiful section
to understand
how this area developed.
So, why don't we see
if we can expose one?
- Okay.
- All right, let's step back.
That's a big stump.
One week ago, while excavating
in this deep region
of the brackish bog...
It's all uneven,
like it was axe-cut.
Members of the team
uncovered several
axe-cut tree stumps.
If that broke off,
the log should be laying
right there beside it, I think.
Curiously, because trees
are unable to grow naturally
in swamp environments,
these finds offered
critical evidence
to support the belief
of geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner,
that the swamp could be
an artificially made feature.
There's your other layer
of stump there.
There's a big something.
Now, as the team unearths
more potentially ancient stumps
from the middle of the swamp,
Dr. Spooner will collect samples
for carbon-14 testing
in order to hopefully determine
just when this area
of the swamp was created.
So, the question, I think,
for me, is whether or not
those stumps date out
to the same as the paved area.
Remember, we found wood
that dated at 1200
- within the paved area.
- Right.
In recent years,
the Oak Island team
has uncovered
numerous stone structures
in the swamp.
These include the potentially
and a stone walkway
leading to a massive boulder
in the southeast corner,
as well as a massive paved area
in the middle of the bog
that Dr. Spooner
was able to carbon-date
to approximately 1200 AD.
These discoveries have made
Rick Lagina believe
that the Oak Island mystery
may be connected
to a generational conspiracy
that was carried out in stages
over a number of centuries.
What happened here?
Obviously,
the stumps can be dated,
and hopefully those dates
will align with the man-made
constructs that we have found.
Stone road, stone path,
paved area,
because we have retrieved dates
from those.
We need to do our homework
and be patient.
I think there are
some answers here.
If we get dates to 1200
on those logs at the bottom,
that would equate
to the paved area.
That means that there's a forest
at this location
at that time, so...
- Yeah.
- At this stage,
what we've got to do
is get dry weather
to actually effectively
sample this.
- Yeah.
- Well, all I know is,
- good luck with the dry weather.
- Yep.
We have a hurricane
on the horizon and,
- bad weather this weekend.
- Yep.
Hurricane Lee
is on the near horizon,
heading towards Nova Scotia.
We have no need of a hurricane
visiting the island.
The potential problems
are quite extensive.
We don't know
how impactful it will be.
Will it be Category 1?
A tropical storm?
Category 2, 3, 4?
We'll have to wait and see.
I'm just gonna grab my tools,
get some sample bags
- so we can get these samples.
- Yep. - Okay.
Yeah, this will be
very interesting,
to see what happens here.
While Dr. Spooner
collects his samples
in the swamp...
- Hey, Roger.
- Hey, Scott.
- Little bit of excitement around here.
- Yeah.
The boys have
actually now found,
the wood that we're looking for.
- Yeah.
- In the Money Pit area,
Scott Barlow meets
with Roger Fortin
of Dumas Contracting Limited
for an update
on an operation
that the team hopes
will soon lead them to a vast
cache of buried treasure.
From the pictures I saw
from Ronnie, it's,
it looks like,
those timbers a-are pretty old.
They're all rounded out.
It really motivated the guys.
Once they had...
- Yeah.
- Once they, once they saw that,
they were just like
tunnel rats down there.
They were moving clay
like you wouldn't believe,
- trying to get a visual on it.
- Yeah.
Definitely wood.
- You can see the end.
- Last week,
after nearly two years
of tireless effort,
the team from Dumas
was finally able to extend
the mid-18th century structure
known as the Garden Shaft
down to a depth of 95 feet,
where they exposed the top
of a believed
seven-foot-high wooden tunnel.
A tunnel that runs due west
into the so-called Baby Blob,
where water testing
in previously drilled boreholes
has identified
high traces of gold,
silver and other metals
between 80 and 120 feet
underground.
Hold it there. That's good.
Now, in the coming days,
the team will install one
additional section, or set,
to the base of the Garden Shaft
to breach the tunnel
and find out not only
where it leads but also
what it might contain.
This is all about anticipation.
I mean, we're close.
We have physical evidence
that the tunnel is real.
It's been a long process,
almost two years' worth
of effort, between
the planning and the execution
and, ultimately, the successful
completion of the task at hand.
Now we need to understand
its relevance to the mystery.
We've got a lot to learn
from this tunnel.
- Sounds good.
- See how it goes.
Looking... I'm anxious
to get down there.
- All right.
- Right on.
- Talk to you after.
- Yeah, I'll talk to you later.
As the operation continues
in the Garden Shaft,
later that afternoon...
- Good day.
- Good day, sir.
Hello, Dr. Satkoski.
Welcome to the w*r room.
We really appreciate you
coming to us.
We look forward
to what you have to say.
Thank you for having me.
I'm-I'm really happy to be here
and-and share these exciting
results with you today.
- Yep.
- It's our pleasure.
Rick, Marty, Craig Tester
and other members of the team
have gathered in the w*r room
for a meeting
via video conference
with Dr. Spooner's colleague
geoscientist Dr. Aaron Satkoski.
Today, we're gonna learn about
a new science and new data,
and the doctor was kind enough
to run some analysis,
specifically about where
certain artifacts came from.
Exactly.
Over the past several years,
between the team's
core-drilling operations.
- Make hole.
- And the installation
of a number
of large steel caissons
all across the Money Pit area,
they have recovered evidence
of two potentially
man-made chambers
outside of the Baby Blob
that also contain traces
of precious metals.
One is located
some 180 feet deep
in a large void between
boreholes H-8 and RF-1,
where a possibly ancient
pickax was also recovered
and the other
was found at a depth
of approximately 150 feet,
which the team has dubbed
Aladdin's cave.
Dr. Satkoski,
please proceed.
Okay, so, isotope tracer work
is slightly more nuanced
than o-other type of analyses
that might be done.
Now, after conducting
isotope testing on wood samples
that were unearthed
from these locations,
Dr. Satkoski has prepared
a report that he believes
could offer new clues
to help the team solve
the Oak Island mystery.
The main isotopes
that I wanted to focus on
are the strontium and
the oxygen isotope composition
in the wood samples
that you sent.
So, strontium
is a metallic element
that can be used
like a fingerprint
in combination with oxygen
to identify
where objects come from
in the, in the world.
Wow.
- That's kind of interesting.
- Yeah.
Yes.
So, if we look
at the Money Pit samples...
So, these two samples,
Yeah, that's where
it gets really interesting,
because RF-1, we still believe,
was closest
to the original Money Pit.
- Yep.
- The next slide I have
is the isotope values,
so we can really look
at the data.
And what you can see is,
we're measuring oxygen
and strontium in the wood
samples that I've plotted here.
So, these two wood samples,
they both plot
in a very similar spot.
These samples, I would argue,
are the most interesting samples
that we have.
They plot furthest away
from maritime Canada
and Northern Canada.
So, our only option is Europe.
Dang.
That's really interesting
and baffling.
So where do you think
that sample comes from?
Southeastern France,
Northern Italy or, you know,
coastal Norway. In those areas,
that's where it overlaps.
That sounds good enough to me.
That sounds remarkable.
Our only option is Europe.
Southeast France.
Northern Italy or, you know,
coastal Norway. In those areas,
that's where it overlaps.
That sounds good enough to me.
Good enough.
- Sounds very good.
- Sounds remarkable.
In the w*r room,
geoscientist Dr. Aaron Satkoski
has just shared
a stunning scientific report
that the wood recovered
nearly 180 feet deep
from borehole RF-1
in the Money Pit area
likely originated in Europe.
A lot of old-looking timber
came out of that caisson.
Yeah. It's really
interesting to note
that the areas that Dr. Satkoski
are giving us for the possible
origin of these samples
is Southeastern France.
And the idea that the mines
where the lead
from the lead cross came from.
And then Italy.
I mean, we saw a lot in Italy
that we feel could relate
to the Oak Island mystery.
Yes.
When we went to Viterbo,
Gianluca told us
that a lot of holy relics
came from Jerusalem
through Italy,
and then off
to other regions, like France.
Buongiorno.
Over the last decade,
as Rick, Marty, Craig
and the team...
This way.
Have been digging into
both the ground and the past,
in their efforts to
solve the Oak Island mystery,
they have visited numerous sites
in both France and Italy...
Hey, guys.
Come take a look at this.
That served as
strongholds between the 12th
and 14th centuries
for the Knights Templar.
It is the belief of numerous
researchers that members of this
medieval Christian order
were the ones who carried out
a generational conspiracy to
hide vast riches and priceless
religious relics on Oak Island.
Hey, Rick, check this out.
That's cool.
We have seen this symbol before.
- H+O Stone.
- Yeah.
In addition to seeing
many stone carvings
on these journeys
that were identical to symbols
that have been found
over the last two centuries
by searchers on
or near Oak Island,
astonishingly, in 2017,
the team also unearthed a lead
cross on the island itself,
made from lead
that was scientifically traced
to a 14th-century mine
in Southern France.
Those are really
provocative locations,
considering everything
we found on the island,
and everything
we've been researching.
Is it possible that the team
has found more evidence
right in the Money Pit area
that the Templar order
really could be connected to
the Oak Island mystery?
This has opened our minds
to the possibilities
of even revisiting the areas
that these samples
have been retrieved from,
like RF-1.
I think it puts a renewed
interest in that location.
Yeah. Back to... back we go.
We just need to go deeper.
Even though we're in
the Garden Shaft
and even though we're drilling
around the 95-foot tunnel
and the Baby Blob,
this information is
exceedingly important because
you have incredibly interesting
samples from RF-1.
And you have some clarity about
where they might have come from.
Different geographic regions
associated with Templars.
Could it possibly reflect
multiple treasure depositions?
It may change the search agenda
as we currently understand it.
Thank you and we look forward
to our next communication.
Absolutely.
I look forward to it. Thank you.
The following morning
as the operation
to breach the possible
treasure tunnel continues
in the Garden Shaft...
F.75-8.25.
Pretty much what we expected.
Backfill all the way down
to 88 feet.
More than 50 feet
to the southwest...
- Hey, guys.
- Hey, Marty. - Hi, Marty.
- How you doing?
- What's going on today?
- Well, we're trying to get to the bottom of RF-1.
- Okay.
Marty Lagina joins other
members of the team
where a new borehole,
known as F.75-8.25,
is being drilled within
the previously excavated
eight-foot diameter.
RF-1 caisson,
in the hopes of finding
additional clues, and hopefully
evidence of valuables.
The key to this whole drill
program, or this endeavor,
is to get down and see what's
between 205 and the bedrock.
- Yes.
- Yes.
The initial results drilling
the original RF-1
were very interesting.
All kinds of things
that made me think
at the time we were
in the original Money Pit.
But we did stop
somewhat short of the bedrock.
There's, like, ten feet
or 15 feet of material
we never got to.
So we're gonna sort of
re-drill RF-1 to see what
we might've missed
with the canister.
Maybe this re-drilling
in RF-I would give us a place to
put down a canister
that goes even deeper.
We need to find
the best target because
we are running out of
the usual things.
Money, time...
So, okay.
Steve, I know you have to go.
And I got some stuff to do, too.
- We'll be back. Thank you.
- Okay, guys.
- We'll keep in touch. Take care.
- See you later.
As the core-drilling
operation proceeds
in the Money Pit area,
on Lot 5, located near the shore
on the western side
of the island...
We have a hurricane on the way,
so let's try to get as much
work done as we can,
and then we'll see
what we can do
- after the hurricane's passed.
- Yeah.
- Gary!
- Hello, mate.
Metal detection expert
Gary Drayton joins Jack Begley,
Jamie Kouba and Fiona Steele
as they continue investigating
the large foundation
that was discovered
earlier this year beneath
a circular stone structure.
We're trying to figure why they
brought deep Money Pit soil in
and packed it into
this portion of the wall.
Like, 104 feet down.
- That's crazy.
- Yeah.
Since the team purchased Lot 5
and began searching for clues
in this feature one year ago,
they have made
astonishing discoveries
that include metal tools
and various kinds of pottery.
A lead barter token
that is a compositional match
to the 14th-century
lead cross...
It reminds me of, like,
a crude mortar or cement.
And a man-made
cement-like substance
that has also been found
approximately 100 feet deep
around the tunnel
below the Garden Shaft.
Now, Gary is going to scan
the rocks and spoils
that have recently been removed
from the feature
I got my big coil on,
so depth is not a problem.
In order to look
for more clues as to how
it might be connected
to the Money Pit.
That sounds great.
We have got a hit
right on the top here, Jack.
Do you want me to dig it out,
or do you just want
to pinpoint it?
- It's loose stuff.
- Yeah, I'll try pinpointing it.
That sounds really good.
That is not iron.
That's nonferrous.
Let's see what we got.
What have we got waiting for us?
Yep. It's in my hand.
All right.
It's in my hand.
Make sure that is it.
Yep. And I see the edges
of it, mate.
Let's see what we've got.
I see what it is, mate!
In the Oak Island
Research Center,
Rick Lagina has just revealed
an astonishing carbon-14 report,
which suggests
that the axe-cut tree stump
that was found in the middle
of the triangle-shaped swamp
could be
more than 700 years old.
This is meaningful
if it came from a bona fide,
- cut stump.
- It did.
Well, if it's from a cut stump,
then somebody cut it.
We're coming to believe
that the swamp was
artificially manipulated.
And we know...
From Dr. Spooner's work
on the paved area...
That construct, is 1200.
Rick, you've come to the belief
that there's been
substantial periods
of activity here.
Daisy-chaining
each other with gaps.
This would support that.
This would, very much so.
So I think it's appropriate
at this point in time,
that we build off
of what Professor Gaspani
told us last year in terms
of Nolan's Cross, right?
One year ago,
during their visit in Italy
to investigate
possible connections
between the medieval order
of the Knights Templar
and the Oak Island mystery,
Rick,
along with members of the team
and researcher
Emiliano Sacchetti
met with archeoastronomy expert
Professor Adriano Gaspani.
Based on Professor Gaspani's
more than three decades
of expertise,
the megalithic formation
of six boulders on Oak Island
known as Nolan's Cross was
likely created centuries ago
by positioning the massive
boulders on the surface
to align with specific stars
in the night sky.
And by studying the historic
positions of those stars,
Professor Gaspani was able to
calculate the approximate date
when the cross
may have been created.
Wow.
We have
Professor Gaspani's assessment
that someone was here
in the 1200s building something.
And now we have other
human activity
that date to the same time frame.
It's very possible then,
that human beings were here.
What is being
understood by these
processes is that
the work in the swamp perhaps
did start very, very early,
i.e. 1200s.
And if that is
the point of beginning,
it opens up the door
to all kinds of possibilities
in terms of theory
and the who, what, when,
where, why and how of things.
There was a determined effort
on the part of groups to conduct
some enterprise here that it may
have been done incrementally.
It stretches the mind
to think that something was
that important to have been
done over centuries.
So in order to properly,
I'll say, utilize.
Professor Gaspani's expertise
and his knowledge,
I think it's imperative
on our part that we expand
upon that information.
And one of the ways we can
do that, in my opinion is,
we know there are two other
stone constructs on the island.
The stone triangle
and the stone cairns
is what Fred delineated
on his map...
He called them "pirate piles."
In 1897,
treasure hunters were astonished
to discover
an equilateral triangle
composed of beach stones
located on the south shore
which pointed due north
toward the original Money Pit.
While the feature's
exact position was
plotted on numerous surveys,
unfortunately,
it was later destroyed
during the massive
digging operations
conducted by
Robert Dunfield in 1965.
However, the remnants of several
other man-made stone features
remain nearly a half mile
to the northeast on Lot 15.
First documented
by Fred Nolan in the 1960s,
the so-called stone cairns,
or pirate piles,
were five pyramid-shaped
constructs,
that Fred believed
pointed directly
toward
the triangle-shaped swamp.
What's left up there?
- Refresh my memory.
- Very little.
The features themselves,
the bases
- of the features are there.
- The bases are there.
I think we should
provide Professor Gaspani
with GPS coordinates
for the stone cairns
and the stone triangle.
And ask him, "Can you make
any alignments to the stars?"
Rick, I couldn't
possibly agree more.
I'm wholly on board with this.
Let's do it.
Could Rick's notion be correct
that if Professor
Adriano Gaspani analyzes
the positions
of the stone cairns
and the stone triangle,
that may be able to determine
just when those features were
originally created?
So if you guys provide me
some data, some measurements,
I'm more than happy to share it
with Professor Gaspani
as soon as I see him.
We'll send you on
the information ASAP.
Please thank him upfront
for all of his work to date,
and we look forward to continued
interaction with you.
That's great.
Perfect, thank you.
- Goodbye.
- Ciao.
Later that afternoon...
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Craig.
No gold?
Not yet.
In the Money Pit
area, Craig Tester
joins geologist Terry Matheson
and Oak Island historian
Charles Barkhouse
as they continue monitoring
the core-drilling operation
in borehole F.75-8.25.
- How deep are we?
- We're down 178 so far.
We hope to follow it all the way
down to the bottom, Craig.
But we've been in and out
of a little bit of wood.
And that wood,
we have right there.
- That came from...
- 155 and a half to 157.
Right.
Okay.
And we did get a little bit
of wood from 178, too.
- Well, that's deeper than normal.
- Yes.
So, where did it come from?
Possible evidence
of a wooden structure?
Unearthed at a depth
of 178 feet?
Could it be related
to the wood sample
previously recovered
from this area,
which originated in Europe?
If so,
what else might they find
as they drill
deeper underground?
We have a core.
Hey, Adam. What do you got?
Ooh. Here we go.
- 199. Thank you.
- 199.
I'm just gonna drain this.
Thank you, Adam.
So...
Wow.
A lot of PVC pipe.
F.75-8.25 down 199.
It's discouraging, the idea
that we're passing
through an old borehole.
Unfortunately,
the fact that the drill
has encountered
fragments of PVC pipe
means that it has
veered off target
and into
a previously drilled borehole.
But just what did the drill hit
that changed its course?
Was it simply
a large rock in the soil?
Or could it have been
an impenetrable object,
or container, that holds
something of great value?
So, anyway, we'll check the map
and see what boreholes
we might be able to identify
and get to the bottom
of the RF-1 caisson.
All right.
Okay, Terry, we'll move on.
Hey, Roger.
- Hey, how's it going, Alex?
- Good. Good to see you again.
Before another productive day
comes to an end on Oak Island
I think we're just coming
down on the tunnel, right?
Well, exactly.
Alex Lagina arrives
in the Money Pit area
for a progress update
on the operation to extend
the Garden Shaft
into the possible
treasure tunnel
located more
than 95 feet underground.
So, we're right now...
The shaft bottom is at 95.
And we dug about
two and a half feet,
so I'd say 97, 98 feet.
So we just finished
installing the staging in there
to make it safer for the guys.
Yep, that looks like part
of the shoe going down now.
- Is that right?
- That's right, yep.
So, they've got the two panels,
the two end panels
that go on the wall plates.
We're gonna add
a shoe section to it.
So, what we're trying to do
is stop anything from coming in.
Right.
It's like building
a ship in a bottle.
Yeah, it is. That's a good,
that's a good metaphor, yeah.
In order to safely extend
the Garden Shaft
to the top
of the mysterious tunnel,
the team from Dumas is
constructing and installing
a protective steel and wooden
frame, known as a shoe,
which will secure the base
of the structure
into the earth around the tunnel
and protect it from caving in.
So we've got a couple
of days of just
getting all that stuff done.
And then we'll
be back into digging.
The best-case scenario
is if the tunnel is open,
it might lead us to
the Money Pit and this treasure.
I mean, from the-the look
of what I saw on that timber,
it looks pretty original.
- It looks old?
- Yeah.
It's definitely not something
that came out of a mill, there.
Right. And all of it means
we're a step closer
to finally actually
visually seeing
some of these, structures
- that have been underground for hundreds of years.
- Well, exactly.
Well, we're all anxious
and we're all excited
and-and we all appreciate
the work you guys are doing.
Absolutely.
And I'll let you know as soon
as I see something
in there that looks like,
"Whoa, okay, guys,
you need to come and see this."
- Sounds good. Perfect. Thank you, Roger.
- Right on.
See you soon.
Absolutely,
we'll talk to you later.
The following morning...
Thanks, everybody,
for coming around
the w*r room table today.
And we've got
nothing but bad news.
Rick Lagina has called
an emergency w*r room meeting
with members of the team.
Hurricane's coming.
There's no denying it.
The problem with
Hurricane Lee that I see
for the island is the speed
that the storm is moving.
And this storm, the directions
are going 360 degrees
of wind, right?
So, everybody is going
to feel a piece of it.
Yeah.
Over the past 24 hours,
Hurricane Lee
has rapidly intensified
into a Category 5 storm system
with wind speeds that could
exceed 150 miles per hour.
After already causing
damage to Bermuda
and the Northeastern
United States,
it is now projected to reach
the Atlantic coast of Nova
Scotia in the coming days,
bringing with it
torrential rains, flooding
and potentially grave danger
to the province.
So, and we can just
cross our fingers
and hope that it all goes well,
that we stay safe here
and that everyone
in the area stays safe.
And if anybody in the local
area needs help,
you know, and they ask for help,
they should know that we'll
be there for them as well.
- Yep.
- Right? So...
We've all been here
during the storm before in 2019.
I think we all remember
the waves
breaking over the causeway.
There's no road under here.
Four years ago,
Hurricane Dorian
battered Oak Island
and the surrounding areas,
which severely damaged
the causeway
and structures
across the island.
With Hurricane Lee
now fast approaching,
the team is fearful
of the damage it could cause,
not only
to the ancient structures
in the swamp and on Lot 5,
but also to the Garden Shaft.
This could be the most
dangerous day on this island.
Yeah. Exactly.
The possible negative effects
on the search agenda
are quite extensive.
The swamp will refill
and we will be delayed.
We know that there's
been a problem
with water intruding
within the Garden Shaft.
Trees come down, power is lost
it-it affects everything.
I-I don't know where to go
with this discussion,
to be honest with you.
I think it's pretty apparent.
We're going
to have to shut down.
You know, we're going to have
to stop all the activities
to keep everybody safe.
I mean, they're, you know,
shutting down each night
when it might rain,
and then there's this,
this is completely different.
This is the first time
in w*r room history
that I'm going
to say this, and...
I-I don't want to be here.
I don't want to be here.
I don't see anything helpful
about the hurricane coming.
In the w*r room,
Rick Lagina and other members
of the team
are regrettably planning to
temporarily shut down
all search operations
on Oak Island
due to reports
that Hurricane Lee,
a Category 5 storm system,
will reach the eastern coast
of Nova Scotia
in a matter of days.
Bottom line is
first and foremost,
- everybody be safe, right?
- Yes.
The next thing that's
paramount of course,
making sure that we try
to protect the work
that's already
been accomplished.
Keep all the infrastructure
that's in place
up and ready to function when
the "good" weather comes back.
- Yeah.
- So, Laird,
why don't we start with you?
So, you'll take care
of your sites,
all your tools, everything?
Yeah. Exactly.
All we can do is batten down
our two sites with tarps,
so we can just protect them
as much as we can
but there's very little
we can do
to prevent water
getting in them.
We're just going to be
eyes-and-boots guys.
You need us to help,
we're at your disposal
to say, "You go do this.
You go do that."
Then, Roger, you're up next.
- What do you do?
- Yeah.
On our side,
it's not so much the wind,
it's the amount of rain.
That rain, obviously,
we're in a hole.
Water goes down the hole.
So, it's going to be like
Niagara Falls down there.
We're going to put the lids on.
We don't want the water
to fill up in the shaft
and go up to a height
that's maybe
going to cause us grief.
I will have a couple of guys
here keeping the water down.
Just pumping out
every two hours.
Start the pumps
and let the water go down.
Okey doke.
Billy, not much you can do
about water in the swamp.
No. Probably my biggest concern
is for the...
For the island overall.
We have a couple sections
of the swamp road
that are still narrow.
So, we have to make sure
that those are shored up
because we want to make sure
that the ocean doesn't breach.
I hope the island doesn't
take too much of a pounding
because we don't want
to continue to lose shoreline.
But it's going to be... the wind
is going to be a big thing here.
So, we'll-we'll cover
the whole island
and we'll just go area by area.
Just one other thing, from the,
you know, the big rain
we had months ago,
it washed out a lot of roads.
This storm may wash
them out again. So, even...
You know, you're thinking about
the island, you're driving here,
there's a number
of places where this road
has been undercut
and it could give out on you.
So, really watch out for that
when you're coming back.
Yeah. If you don't need to be
up during the storm, stay home.
I guess we do have
a full day ahead of us.
So, we should get started.
- Let's get some stuff done.
- Okay.
Sounds good.
- Everybody, stay safe.
- Yes.
There's no question
that safety is paramount.
You can't do anything
about Mother Nature.
What you can do is say,
you know what?
We're gonna deal
with these issues
and we're gonna
keep moving forward.
And that's what we intend to do.
You can see this
weather closing in, mate.
It's certainly been
a topsy-turvy year.
Bad luck happening
right at the right time
where it hampers your efforts.
I don't believe in curses.
But here we are
in the Garden Shaft,
maybe only feet above
some real answers.
All right, guys,
we're good to go.
I don't know why
mysterious setbacks
seem to occur at very
inopportune times, but they do.
It's just incredible, isn't it?
And it seems to be when
you're close to the treasure
is when it becomes
really impossible.
Let's get going.
For Rick, Marty,
Craig and their team...
That's the way to do it.
It has already been
an especially challenging year.
However, it has also been one
in which they have made
astonishing new discoveries
all across the island.
And now,
if the mysterious forces
that some believe
guard the island's secrets
are once again emerging in order
to try and stop their efforts,
perhaps it is yet another sign
of just how profound
the ultimate discovery
that awaits them
could actually be.