Oak Island, Nova Scotia – In a dramatic climax to this year’s search, brothers Rick and Marty Lagina descended together into the Garden Shaft of the Money Pit area, marking a historic first in their decades-long quest for Oak Island’s legendary treasure.
The descent came after weeks of probe drilling at depths of more than 90 feet, where operators believed they had encountered a wooden tunnel possibly leading westward into the so-called “treasure zone.” Although a direct breakthrough proved elusive, drill operator Rodney expressed near certainty that his bit had struck wood along the tunnel’s edge.
“I’m 99.9 percent sure I hit wood on the north side,” Rodney confirmed. “We may have come down beside it, which gives us a line to project the tunnel.”
With limited time left in the search season, Rick and Marty made the bold decision to explore the shaft firsthand. For the brothers, who first read about Oak Island’s mystery as boys, the descent carried deep emotional weight.
“It’s like a childhood fantasy,” Marty reflected. “Sixty years later, we’re way underground in the Money Pit, in the very place men have searched for treasure for over two centuries—and I’m doing it with my brother.”
Once at the bottom, the team called in veteran metal detection expert Gary Drayton, who became the first person to swing a detector inside the historic Money Pit. Against the echo of dripping water and the weight of centuries-old timbers, Drayton quickly registered a strong non-ferrous signal—an indication of gold, silver, or copper.
“That’s the best sounding target I’ve heard,” Drayton exclaimed. “It could be treasure, mate!”
The signal, buried beneath several feet of mud and rubble, left the team electrified. Yet with the Dumas mining crew required to shut down operations for the season and no permits to extend the shaft deeper, the find will remain untested until next year.
The discovery left the crew both thrilled and frustrated.
“The level of excitement when Gary describes a non-ferrous hit—it’s through the roof,” Marty admitted. “And that’s why it’s so frustrating not to go after it right now.”
The season concluded with a final war room meeting, where Rick Lagina, often the quiet anchor of the expedition, spoke emotionally about the shared journey:
“Every journey is a shared experience, and we’ve been on a decades-long journey together. Think how eclectic this group is—different skills, different understandings, brought together for an incredible mystery. Just give yourself a moment to say, ‘I was part of something bigger than myself.’”
While the Garden Shaft has now yielded the strongest evidence yet of a possible treasure chamber, the ultimate answers remain locked beneath Oak Island’s soil and stone.
As the team packs up for the winter, one question looms large: Will next season finally break the 230-year-old curse of Oak Island?
