Oak Island Season 12: New Sponsors, New Secrets, and a Giant Mystery Below!
“What could compel someone to break their silence and fund the most daring dig yet on Oak Island?”
Welcome back, treasure hunters. In Season 12 of The Curse of Oak Island, Rick and Marty Lagina aren’t just digging deeper—they’re rewriting history.
The Buzz Behind the Scenes: New Sponsor, New Stakes
Whispers are growing louder. A new major sponsor, increased funding, and talk of advanced excavation methods have fans asking: what’s really happening beneath Oak Island?
Enter Duma Contracting Limited—now leading the charge with Rick and Marty to drill deeper into the legendary Money Pit, aiming for depths of 95 feet and beyond. The goal? Unlock hidden tunnels and find valuable relics sealed away for centuries.
Breakthrough at the Money Pit: 90 Feet Down… and Counting
The excitement began when the team detected metal traces deep in the soil. Then—a wooden structure below the tunnel. Marty’s eyes lit up. Could this be connected to the elusive treasure vault?
They pushed forward. Borehole H8, long thought to be key, became a renewed focus for Terry Matheson and Charles Barkhouse, who discovered parchment fragments and leather bindings—a strong sign of historical documents or even a chapel vault.
And then—something big at 170 feet. Was this the vault? Or had it shifted?
Trouble in the Swamp: Secrets Beneath the Stone Path
Out in the southeast wetlands, Gary Drayton, Jack Begley, and Billy Gerhardt turned their attention to a mysterious stone roadway. Gary believed it could be an ancient ship landing, possibly used by the Knights Templar.
They pressed through the foul-smelling mud—Gary called it the “smell of treasure.” Then, a shock: an oddly placed boulder beside the path, with stones arranged like steps leading to it. A deliberate design?
Nearby, Gary unearthed a thick wooden plank just 2 feet below the surface. It lacked any metal fasteners, possibly from an early shipwreck. Rick was stunned. What vessel had come to this shore… and why?
Echoes of the Past: Artifacts, Foundations & Forgotten Cultures
On another part of the island, archaeologist Jaime Cuba and his team investigated a stone foundation in a circular depression. Their finds told a story stretching back centuries:
- A 14th-century lead token
- Venetian glass beads from the 1500s–1600s
- Metal tools possibly tied to known explorers
Even more intriguing? The soil was compacted, possibly with mortar—evidence of ancient construction. Could these artifacts be linked to different cultures over time, each drawn to Oak Island’s secrets?
New Tests, New Dates: 1631 to 1684?
Meanwhile, back at the Garden Shaft, Alex Lagina and Craig Tester received carbon dating results from a wood sample buried deep underground. The verdict?
Between 1631 and 1684.
This sparked new enthusiasm, even though the mystery only deepened. If that structure was that old, who built it—and why?
Deeper Still: Metal, Wood, and a Shifting Vault
Terry Matheson spotted wood just above bedrock at 211 feet. At the same time, Alex Lagina discovered a piece of metal nearby—possibly a shattered piece of the treasure vault itself.
Marty theorized that earlier excavations might have damaged the vault, scattering pieces. Now, the team considered moving the drilling rig again, hunting for clues that had shifted over centuries.
Rick Lagina summed it up best: “Just like the clay we dig through, our theories keep shifting.”
Final Push: Into the Garden Pit and Beyond
Their new target? The Garden Pit—where a massive tunnel system may lie beneath. With each passing day, the crew digs deeper into Oak Island’s heart, driven by the belief that just one more hole could change everything.
As the sun rises, Duma returns to push to 95 feet, and the swamp team reassembles to pursue the stone path and the ship-like planks they found.
Closing Thoughts: A Treasure Hunt or Historical Epic?
This episode reminds us: Oak Island isn’t just a treasure hunt. It’s a layered mystery full of lost cultures, ancient engineering, and enduring human hope.
No, the treasure hasn’t been found—yet. But the journey continues, one shovel, one artifact, one theory at a time.
“We may not have all the answers, but we’re digging closer to them with every passing day.” — Rick Lagina
