Oak Island Breakthroughs: Sonar Scans and Ancient Talismans Fuel Treasure Hunt in Latest Episode
As the calendar flips to a new year, the enduring saga of Oak Island’s buried secrets shows no signs of slowing down. In the latest installment of “The Curse of Oak Island”—Season 13, Episode 9, “So Close Yet Sonar,” which aired on December 30, 2025—the Lagina brothers and their team edge tantalizingly closer to unraveling the island’s 230-year-old mystery. From sonar revelations in the Money Pit area to medieval-inspired artifacts, the episode delivered a mix of scientific scrutiny and historical intrigue that has fans buzzing.
The action kicked off with a new borehole, dubbed BN-13.5, drilled between the Tooth Quesan to the south and the Garden Shaft to the north—45 feet northeast of recent probes. This site falls within the “Peacock,” a curiously shaped zone identified in 2022, characterized by slushy material from 55 to 150 feet deep atop a solution channel. Team geologist Steve Guptill described it as a “higher mud river,” potentially linked to undocumented searcher tunnels or natural voids. Rick Lagina speculated that an adjacent shaft might explain the loose soils, noting no historical records of activity there. The drilling built on recent precious metals evidence from Dr. Ian Spooner, suggesting significant deposits that persist to this day.
Shifting to the southwestern corner of the swamp, metal detectorist Kathleen McGowan (referred to as Katchcha in the recap) and Derek joined excavator operator Billy Gerhardt in probing a trench near previously uncovered stone structures and a possible road. They unearthed a weathered survey stake buried under three feet of material, with Billy pointing out signs of a pre-existing pit. Katchcha noted its age, and plans were made for Steve to map its location and Dr. Spooner to carbon-date it. Further digs revealed a tapered wood piece, possibly part of an oar, reminiscent of ship remnants found nearby in 2020 (carbon-dated to as early as the 600s AD) and stakes from the vault area last year.
In the Oak Island Lab, archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan analyzed a folded coin from Lot 5’s “round feature” (now far from round after expansions). Detected by Gary Drayton in spoils, the coin—triple-folded as a potential good-luck talisman—yielded intriguing results. A CT scan showed no definitive coin markings, but its post-medieval, pre-mid-1800s composition, with high arsenic and lead, pointed to the mid-1700s or late 1600s. Laird Niven noted similar finds are rare in Nova Scotia, though historical searches mention folded coins on the island and at Jamestown, Virginia. The team linked it to 1680s swamp activity—150 years before the Money Pit’s 1795 discovery—and pondered ties to Knights Templar offshoots like the Knights of Malta, given other Lot 5 artifacts like ornate buttons and trade beads.
Back at BN-13.5, drilling hit a void from 148 to 158 feet, with solid material resuming at 158-168 feet. Steve and Marty Lagina reiterated the offset chamber theory: a tunnel from the main Money Pit shaft leading to a higher cavern for treasure storage. High-definition cameras revealed poor visibility but spotted openings and boulder-on-boulder formations. A sonar scan highlighted linear features in light blue—hallmarks of human engineering amid natural chaos. Rick announced plans to enhance the footage with a video company for deeper insights.
Numismatist Sandy Campbell joined the team in the research center to examine the folded coin. He confirmed its three folds and dated it to the 16th or 1700s, aligning with Emma’s findings. Campbell explained the medieval-origin ritual of folding coins to trap evil and discard them as saintly homage, practiced by the Knights Templar—a nod to the late-1600s Knights of Malta era.
On Lot 8, Rick and Katchcha followed a line from a Lot 5 marker stone, unearthing a possible knife fragment with a square hole (a Gary Drayton hallmark of antiquity) and a lead bag seal. Similar seals found on Lots 32 (British, 1500s) and 5 (isotopically linked to a 1300s Templar cross) raised hopes for maker marks via Emma and Laird, potentially tying it to the Money Pit.
The episode teased upcoming adventures: Episode 10, “Boulder and Wiser” (January 6, 2026), promises a medieval artifact on Lot 8 leading to a massive discovery; Episode 11, “A Night’s Journey” (January 13), hints at clues identifying the mystery’s architects beneath a boulder; and Episode 12, “A Fort Knight” (January 20), remains shrouded in secrecy.
With recaps of past seasons available and more to come through May 2026, the Oak Island quest continues to captivate. As one viewer put it in the video recap: “Happy New Year”—and here’s to hoping 2026 brings the breakthrough everyone’s been digging for.
