The Curse of Oak Island Season 13 Episode 17 Preview

The Missing Links Could Finally Connect the Island’s Biggest Mysteries

As the thirteenth season of The Curse of Oak Island continues to intensify, the search for the island’s legendary treasure appears closer than ever to a historic turning point. Episode 17, titled The Missing Links, promises to bring together several major discoveries across the island and potentially reveal how the long-standing mysteries of Oak Island are connected.

With compelling scientific data pointing to significant deposits of elemental silver deep underground, the Fellowship of the Dig—led by Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, and their expanding team of engineers and archaeologists—is approaching the search with unprecedented determination.

According to preview footage and early episode descriptions, the upcoming episode will feature major developments at three key locations: the Money Pit, the swamp, and Lot 8. Each site may hold a critical piece of the puzzle that has baffled treasure hunters for more than two centuries.

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The Money Pit: A Massive Drill May Have Struck Something Significant

The 135-Ton Drilling Rig Reaches Its Target

For weeks, the primary focus of the team has been the massive drilling operation at the Money Pit area, where a towering 135-ton telescoping drill rig has been deployed to chase the mysterious silver anomaly detected deep beneath the island.

Using enormous steel caissons driven toward depths approaching 200 feet, the team has been attempting to reach what scientific testing suggests could be a large underground deposit.

In the preview for Episode 17, tension rises as the drill advances deeper into the earth. Suddenly, the crew reports a dramatic moment:

The caisson hits something solid.

The sudden impact causes the entire drilling platform to shudder. When a steel casing driven with immense hydraulic force abruptly strikes an obstacle at that depth, there are generally two possible explanations:

• The drill has encountered a dense natural bedrock formation, or
• It has collided with a man-made underground structure.

Given the exact drilling coordinates—positioned near the historic Top Pocket area of the Money Pit—the possibility that the team has reached the roof of a buried chamber or vault cannot be ignored.

For Oak Island followers, this moment could represent one of the most important drilling events in the entire series.

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Wash Plant Evidence Could Reveal a Buried Vault

Artifacts Hint at Something Extraordinary

The true evidence of what lies underground may emerge not from the drill itself but from the wash plant, where excavated material is examined for historical artifacts.

In the promotional footage, a team member studying recovered materials makes an intriguing observation:

It looks like something that would surround a treasure chest.

If accurate, this statement suggests that the debris brought up by the drilling operation could include components associated with historic storage containers.

Possible discoveries might include:

• Hand-forged iron bands used to reinforce wooden chests
• Decorative brass hinges or hardware
• Fragments of oak planking joined with traditional carpentry methods
• Antique locking mechanisms or metal fittings

If the drilling operation has indeed penetrated the remains of a buried vault or chest, the spoil material could contain fragments of these structures.

Such a discovery would represent a major breakthrough in identifying the physical remains of a historical deposit.

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The Swamp Investigation Could Reveal the Island’s Hidden Blueprint

Survey Stakes Align With Nolan’s Cross

While heavy machinery dominates the Money Pit, a more delicate investigation is unfolding in the island’s swamp.

Throughout the season, researchers have been following an engineered cobblestone pathway located beneath the swamp’s surface. This structure appears to be part of an industrial loading system constructed centuries ago.

The pathway is bordered by unusual eight-sided wooden stakes, which may have served as surveying markers.

In Episode 17, the team makes a remarkable observation: the alignment of these stakes appears to intersect with Nolan’s Cross.

Nolan’s Cross, first mapped by the late researcher Fred Nolan, consists of several massive boulders arranged in a cross-shaped formation across Oak Island.

For decades, theorists have debated whether the formation represents:

• A navigational marker
• A geometric map
• A symbolic religious monument
• Or a guide pointing toward hidden treasure

If the swamp roadway aligns precisely with the geometry of Nolan’s Cross, it suggests that both structures were created as part of a coordinated island-wide design.

Such a connection would dramatically change how researchers interpret the island’s engineering.

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Lot 8: A Hidden Shaft May Be Expanding

Excavation Beneath a Massive Boulder Raises New Questions

Another major development in Episode 17 occurs on Lot 8, where recent investigations uncovered a mysterious trench hidden beneath a large boulder.

Following elevated lead readings detected by geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner—possibly indicating historical fire activity or ventilation—the team began excavating the area beneath the stone.

What initially appeared to be a small trench may actually be something far larger.

As digging continues, the cavity beneath the boulder seems to expand beyond expectations, suggesting the possibility of a vertical shaft or underground chamber.

If structural elements such as timber supports or carved stone walls begin to appear, the discovery could represent a deliberately constructed feature.

Such a structure would strengthen theories that the island contains multiple hidden chambers rather than a single deposit.

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The Offset Chamber Theory Gains New Attention

Was the Money Pit Designed as a Decoy?

The expanding discovery on Lot 8 has renewed interest in a long-standing theory among Oak Island researchers.

Some historians believe the Money Pit itself may have been designed as a diversion, intended to mislead treasure hunters while the real deposit was hidden elsewhere.

If the original builders possessed the engineering skill required to construct flood tunnels and complex underground traps, it is possible they also designed a secondary vault located away from the main excavation site.

Lot 8, positioned on higher ground, could represent such a location.

Should the excavation reveal clear signs of engineered structures, the team may need to reconsider where the island’s primary treasure might actually be hidden.

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The Island’s Mysteries May Finally Be Connecting

For over two centuries, investigators have treated Oak Island’s anomalies as separate puzzles:

• The Money Pit
• The swamp road
• Nolan’s Cross
• The mysterious shafts and tunnels

Episode 17 suggests that these elements may actually be parts of one larger system.

The drilling impact at the Money Pit may reveal physical evidence of a buried chamber.
The swamp alignment may provide the geometric map used by the island’s original engineers.
And the expanding excavation on Lot 8 could expose another major underground structure.

If these discoveries truly connect, the team may finally be reading the hidden blueprint left behind by the island’s creators.

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A Pivotal Moment for the Oak Island Investigation

As The Missing Links prepares to air, the Fellowship of the Dig stands at the center of one of the most promising moments in the island’s long history.

Modern technology, combined with decades of research and relentless determination, may finally be bringing the search closer to its ultimate goal.

Whether the team uncovers a buried vault, confirms the island’s engineered layout, or reveals new underground structures, one thing is clear:

The story of Oak Island is reaching a critical stage.

And the island may be closer than ever to revealing the secrets that have remained hidden for more than 200 years.