OAK ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA — The Lagina brothers and their team are once again pushing the boundaries of history as The Curse of Oak Island gears up for its highly anticipated Season 12. With dramatic new discoveries and tantalizing scientific results, the treasure hunt that has captivated millions for over a decade appears closer than ever to unearthing its ultimate secrets.
In the past year, the Fellowship of the Dig has unearthed several perplexing, man-made structures scattered across the island. Each discovery suggests that the Oak Island mystery is not only older than once thought but potentially tied to civilizations and organizations that date back nearly a millennium.
Lot 26 Well — The Oldest Structure Yet?
On Lot 26, archaeologists uncovered what appeared to be a crudely made well. But when Dr. Ian Spooner conducted water testing, the results stunned the team: silver traces were found, one of the only hits outside the Money Pit itself. Further analysis only deepened the mystery when carbon dating revealed organic material at the bottom of the well dated between 1028 and 1172 AD — centuries before the Money Pit’s discovery in 1795.
“This date blew me away,” Dr. Spooner remarked. “It makes you wonder what was really happening on this island at that time.”
Lot 5 Circular Stone Depression
Equally baffling was a near-perfect circular stone-lined depression on Lot 5, land once owned by the late treasure hunter Robert Young. Measuring precisely 13 feet in diameter — the exact same as the original description of the Money Pit — the feature raised immediate suspicions. Pottery shards dated to the mid-1700s hinted at layered occupation, while deeper stonework suggested something much older.
“It could fit in with Zena Halpern’s map,” one team member observed, referring to a 14th-century chart believed to have been created by the Knights Templar. On that map, a location marked “The Hole Under the Hatch” lies in the vicinity of Lot 5. Could this depression be the long-sought hatch?
The Garden Shaft — Gold in the Water
Perhaps the most promising find comes from the Garden Shaft, originally uncovered as a presumed searcher’s tunnel and later preserved as a monument. In 2022, geoscientists took water samples from the shaft and surrounding boreholes — and discovered traces of gold. Carbon dating of timber from 50 feet down dated the shaft to before the Money Pit’s first discovery.
Further scanning revealed a tunnel nearly 95 feet deep, directly beneath the shaft, where water tests again showed the highest concentration of gold on the island. Metal detection expert Gary Drayton confirmed the presence of a strong non-ferrous target below, sparking renewed hope.
“Where there’s muck, there’s treasure,” Drayton quipped, summing up the team’s optimism.
A Mystery Growing Deeper
For Rick and Marty Lagina, the evidence points to a puzzle that stretches further back in time than previously imagined, involving hidden shafts, secret tunnels, and structures linked to both medieval and colonial periods.
“We all sincerely believe we’ve boxed it in to the point where we will solve it,” Rick Lagina said.
As Season 12 approaches, anticipation grows that Oak Island’s secrets — and perhaps even its legendary treasure — may finally be within reach.
