'The Curse of Oak Island' Season 11: Lagina Brothers and team try to get to the bottom of Money Pit
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: Eleven seasons into History Channel's 'The Curse of Oak Island,' brothers Rick and Marty Lagina are still ecstatic when a dirt-encrusted artifact is discovered during their quest for hidden wealth on Nova Scotia's Oak Island. They have plenty of adrenaline-fueled moments in the two-hour Season 11 premiere (November 7 at 9/8c).
Building on scientific discoveries that significant silver and gold deposits can be found deep within the Money Pit region, the Laginas and their group are still utilizing state-of-the-art technology to conduct extensive excavations that involve innovative shaft and tunnel building techniques in an attempt to locate the fabled Oak Island treasure. Will the crew be able to solve the Oak Island mystery this year?
The crew discovers a handful of old coins in Lot 5, a piece of the island acquired by the Laginas in 2022, which they will bring back to expert Sandy Campbell. They also proceed to investigate the lot's 13-foot-diameter circular land feature, which delivers another intriguing discovery: a latch that, according to examination from their on-site lab, is linked to a historical character who may be a part of the Oak Island treasure.
Rick Lagina tells the cameras how they couldn't have anticipated getting their hands on the old coins 10 years ago. What they have to climb down is a "high-density anomaly below the surface of the Money Pit."
This is the closest they've ever come to discovering the riches that Marty Lagina claims, "We need to get to the bottom" of the box of chambers that they seek.
What is the Money Pit in 'The Curse of Oak Island'?
The Money Pit, located on the east side of Oak Island, is a 100-foot-deep pit. According to island legend, it was discovered in 1795 by a local adolescent who spotted an indentation in the earth and began digging with some pals, only to discover a man-made shaft with wooden platforms every 10 feet down to the 90-foot level of depth.
In the opening episode of Season 1, the Laginas mention "teenagers" discovering proof of the wealth "200 years ago." The issue is that other holes drilled around the original Money Pit collapsed due to clay, saltwater, muck, and other debris during a haphazard trip in the 1960s, making the actual site of the shaft unknown.
These days, the Lagina brothers excavate throughout the island in places they believe to be at least close to the original pit. Like countless treasure hunters before them, Rick and Marty have also discovered that tunnels buried at different depths with the intention of flooding the shaft with water and discouraging searchers from going much further have impeded their attempts.
We need to get to the bottom of this. #CurseOfOakIsland TONIGHT!! pic.twitter.com/ZhBdy8x0Mi
— Curse of Oak Island (@CurseOfOak) November 7, 2023
Danger awaits in 'The Curse of Oak Island's Garden Shaft
Danger lurks in the Garden Shaft of the island. Last year, gold traces were discovered in the water, but the arrival of winter halted studies.
They'll dig even further underground this season. The Garden Shaft excavation "has been intensified," but "some of the problems that everybody who has gone below ground here has encountered, well, we are now encountering them," Marty adds.
Hopefully, this will not result in floods, which destroyed most of the original construction in the late 1800s.
Marty Lagina calls last leg of 'The Curse of Oak Island 'spooky'
There's one more obstacle the brothers must overcome before the 228-year-old mystery is solved. An old curse states that seven men must perish before the wealth is discovered. Six are already in the bag.
When the Laginas get so near to what may be the end, does it bother them in the slightest?
According to Marty, "Something just happened in the last two days here that I can’t say anything about, but if you were a believer in curses, you’d think, ‘Well, here’s something.'" "It’s kind of spooky."
'The Curse of Oak Island' Season 11 airs on Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on History