The Curse of Oak Island Season 12 Episode 18 Recap: Buried Gold in the Swamp

🏴‍☠️ Welcome Back, Treasure Hunters!

Hey guys, welcome back!
Today we’re diving into Season 12, Episode 18 of The Curse of Oak Island—an episode full of new discoveries, hidden tunnels, and mind-blowing artifacts that could finally unlock Oak Island’s centuries-old mystery.

⛏️ RP1 & RP2: The New Shafts Searching for Shaft 6

This week, the Lagina brothers and their team took a massive step forward by drilling two exploratory shafts, RP1 and RP2. Their goal? Locate the legendary Shaft 6, which collapsed in 1861 after treasure hunters reportedly struck two stacked wooden chests—before a booby trap flooded the shaft and buried everything.

• RP1 was drilled to 114 feet. While no treasure surfaced, hand-cut timbers were recovered—strong evidence Shaft 6 has been found.
• Geologist Terry Matheson confirmed the team drilled through old tunnel layers, reigniting hope.

🪵 A Mysterious Wooden Dowel: Evidence of the Original Money Pit?

Next, RP2—just a foot northeast of RP1—brought something surprising:
A square, hammered wooden dowel.

Why is this important? Because this style of dowel wasn’t typical for 1800s tunnels. It might come from the original Money Pit, dating before 1795.

If confirmed through carbon dating, this could be the first physical evidence of whoever built the Money Pit—proving someone buried something valuable long before the first treasure hunters arrived.

🌾 Strange Artifacts in the Swamp: Hidden Vaults and Military Boots?

Over in the swamp, even more clues are surfacing:

• Iron spikes and a chisel, possibly from 17th or 18th century construction.
• Survey stakes—matching those found near a cobblestone pathway, suggesting large-scale planning.
• And perhaps most intriguingly, a military-style leather boot dated between 1830–1900.

This led to renewed speculation about Anthony Graves, a 19th-century Oak Island landowner. Though he never joined official hunts, he was rumored to have spent Spanish silver coins. Could he have found treasure in the swamp—and left more behind?

🚬 The 1680s Pipe Stem: Proof of 17th Century Treasure Tunnels?

One of the most game-changing finds came from RP1 spoil piles:
A clay pipe stem.

At first, it looked ordinary—but archaeologist Laird Niven and metallurgist Emma Culligan confirmed it dates from 1680 to 1710.

That’s 85 years before the Money Pit was discovered in 1795.
This could be definitive proof that people were digging tunnels on Oak Island in the 1600s.

The date range also lines up with Sir William Phips, who recovered $32 million in Spanish treasure in 1687. Could Oak Island be connected to his secret stash?

🧩 Layered History: Multiple Treasures Across Centuries?

The discoveries suggest Oak Island wasn’t used by just one group—but multiple treasure seekers over centuries:

• Templars in the 1300s
• Spanish or British in the 1600s-1700s
• 1800s treasure hunters triggering collapses

Each clue—the wooden dowel, pipe stem, military boot—adds to a theory that Oak Island’s treasure isn’t in one place, but spread out across a layered network of secret vaults and collapsed shafts.

🔍 What’s Next for the Team?

• Will RP2 hit the tunnel of Shaft 6 and uncover the lost treasure chests of 1861?
• Will carbon dating confirm the dowel’s age?
• Is the swamp hiding yet another secret vault?
• Does the 1680s pipe stem connect to Sir William Phips and his lost Spanish gold?

With each discovery, the evidence stacks higher. And with only a few episodes left this season, the stakes have never been greater.