04x03 - Swamp Things

[bunniefuu]

Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

This, the actual start
of this Money Pit dig.

The story of Oak Island
revolves around this spot.

You're a part of history now.

So, these are the interesting
targets in the swamp.

Let's get out there

and get some answers!

The easiest thing is

to put a diver back in there.

- I've got something!
- What is that?

Wow, it's huge.

What is this?

- What does that look like?
- Looks like an "X" with a hook.

Is that symbol the Templars?

There is an island
in the North Atlantic

where people have been looking
for an incredible treasure

for more than years.

So far, they have found
bits of gold chain,

a stone slab with strange
symbols carved into it...

even a th century
Spanish coin.

To date, six men have d*ed

trying to solve the mystery.

And, according to legend,

one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

It is a day of profound change

and sadness on Oak Island.

- Hey, guys. -Hey!
- Hey, guys.

- So? -Well?
- How'd it go?

So how'd it go, guys?

It was a...
it was a very nice service.

About people there.

Rick Lagina...

Along with Dave Blankenship

and island historian
Charles Barkhouse...

Have just returned

from the funeral of Fred Nolan,
a man who,

like Dave's father,
Dan Blankenship,

was considered to be one of
the most important figures

in the -year effort to solve
the Oak Island mystery.

There's a nice thing
on the back here.

It's some kind of tribute
to surveyors.

So, I'll read it
in honor of Fred.

- How's that?
- Fine.

"The Surveyor.

"He thrives on patterns,

"his marks and monuments
transform a wilderness,

"and by his carefully tagged
and numbered squares

"he clothes in certainty,

"in geometrical designs,

"man's ancient rights.

"He scans the skies,
reading some far-off star

"by which he plots meridians

"and makes his maps,
stitching a newfound world

"into a patchwork quilt,

"a net of metes and bounds,

so lands may know their own
and live in peace."

As one of the most prolific

land surveyors in Nova Scotia,

Fred Nolan first came
to Oak Island in

and was later invited
to survey the island in

by landowner M.R. Chappell.

After locating
what he believed to be

a number of ancient
stone markers and monuments,

Fred became convinced

that the key to solving
the Oak Island mystery

was to search above ground

rather than below it.

But perhaps his most incredible
discovery came in ,

when he identified

five cone-shaped boulders
on his property

that form a perfectly
symmetrical pattern,

later known as Nolan's Cross.

Fred, first of all,
I just want to say

thanks for coming
to the w*r room.

Last year, after
a long period of bitter rivalry

between Fred Nolan and fellow
Oak Island landowner

and treasure hunter
Dan Blankenship,

Rick, Marty and Craig
successfully persuaded Fred

to join forces
with the Oak Island team

and begin sharing
valuable information.

How many years' work
does this map represent?

- , years.
- Wow.

He brought something
to the island, the search,

that no one else
in the years

prior to him brought.

And that is a hard science,

a discipline,

and to work with him
was incredible.

Rick certainly knew him
better than I did.

So Fred's passing

was quite upsetting
to Rick because,

to Rick, he was a legend.

And you know what?
God bless my brother,

because Rick is a guy who
believes completely in heroes.

"So lands may know their own
and live in peace."

And now it denotes
an inflection point.

There's everything
before Fred Nolan,

and now there's going
to be everything after,

and it'll be different.

So, you know, I know it's
a somber thing for you,

Rick, um, and you know,
you admire determination.

- I mean, the guy was fierce.
- Yep. -No question.

Well, it has been a sad couple
of days for me, but look,

I'll speak for myself, and I...

you know, maybe if everybody
wants to confirm it.

I'm more dedicated than ever.

The quest goes on.

Yeah.

As you correctly say,
we have the objective,

and the quest, to continue.
So...

do we have any understanding
of how this might affect us?

In the immediate,
as we look out,

I'm a bit troubled,

because I had outlined

what I thought was
a fairly serious agenda,

working in the swamp with Fred.

There's no question
that Fred's passing

could easily have
a negative impact

on moving forward in the swamp.

You can't put a puzzle together

if part of the pieces
are missing.

I'll go out on a limb here
and say,

I think, with a high confidence,
but not exact,

that we can still do anything
in the swamp.

My understanding is
the treasure trove license,

it would pass with his estate,

which would mean our deal
with him would also be valid.

I think we have
the rights to continue.

Yep.

Yep. So, um, with that said,

let's switch topics here
for a second.

So, we have the Money Pit
looming large.

We do have contractors,

and they are coming out,
I believe.

- Yep.
- These are the companies

that would have the ability
to push a caisson

down deep enough
so we can get a human being

down in the Money Pit area.

- Good.
- Which is pretty cool.

So, that's what's gonna happen,

and beyond that, Rick, um...

Well, look,
here's the thing for me:

It's been a long day.

It's a sobering reminder

that time waits for no one.

And we're all getting older.

So, let's get out there

and get some answers.

- Hear, hear!
- Hear, hear.

On the morning after
Fred Nolan's funeral, Rick,

Marty and their partners
have turned their attention

once again to this year's

most ambitious...
And costly... operation:

The excavation of two target
sites at the Money Pit.

To accomplish this,
they have brought in

a team from Brycon Construction
who will first create

a new access road
leading to the site.

Then, they will move
tons of earth

in order to create
a completely flat surface.

This will allow the team
to bring in the massive

cranes and steel caissons

that will be driven more than
feet deep into the ground.

I don't even want to look.

- We're here?
- Yeah.

As the work continues,

Rick Lagina and island
historian, Charles Barkhouse,

arrive at the Money Pit
to see how much progress

has been made so far.

Wow!

I was shocked to
see what they had done.

We're that much closer
to the objective, i.e.

getting to the bottom of the
Money Pit.

They're all about
getting the job done,

as efficiently as possible,
as aggressively as possible.

I mean, if this is a sample
of what's to come.

I mean, of course
you're optimistic.

It's amazing.

It would have taken us
two months.

Look, Rick, look at the
pile of timber here.

Lots of timber here.

Well, what do you make of it?

That's some pretty big timbers,

I mean, it's all through here.

I mean, just wherever you walk
you can see it.

I'm looking around three-sixty,
and I can see it everywhere.

As the earthwork project
proceeded, I mean, we knew,

the layout of the quote-unquote,

Dunfield Spoil piles,
when he dug this large

excavation down
into the Money Pit.

We knew there might be some
artifacts, if you will,

but to find them,
a large amount of wood,

I mean, of course it's exciting.

In , Oak Island
treasure hunter,

Robert Dunfield began
an ambitious and

extensive excavation
of the Money Pit area...

In a desperate attempt
to reach the mysterious

wooden treasure vault that was
reportedly discovered

by William Chappell in .

Over a period of four months,

Dunfield and members
of his team,

which included Dan Blankenship,
dug a massive -foot wide,

-foot deep hole.

In the process, they pulled
up and discarded more than

a century of searcher tunnels
and other debris that had been

buried in the area.

Unfortunately, heavy winter
rains and massive flooding,

possibly from underground
booby traps,

caused the giant hole
to collapse before Dunfield

could ever reach his target.

I mean, look, there's
another piece over here.

Look. It's everywhere.

Hey, look! Pottery.

- Pottery?
- Yeah.

- Well I don't know but...
- That is pottery.

Look! Pottery!

That is pottery.

While examining a mound of dirt

created by the preliminary
excavations

being conducted at
the Money Pit,

Rick Lagina and Oak Island
historian, Charles Barkhouse,

have just made a potentially
important discovery.

You can see the glazing
in there.

See that right there,
the little lines?

Yeah.

You know, I mean,
that might be worth testing.

- Yeah.
- You know, you can see the...

The... hey, look.

What? You got another piece?
Wow!

- It looks like a plate.
- Yes, look you can see the...

That's the... The rim.
. Wait a minute.

- What is that?
- Here, hold that.

Is that a design?

Yeah, you can
see it right there.

Some kind of glazing.
Some blue something.

Yeah. I mean, you can
see the rim on it, too.

- Right there. Look.
- Yeah, that's a plate.

Yeah, it's a plate, exactly.

Because the area
around the Money Pit

has been the focus of
treasure hunting activity

for more than years,
it is difficult

for Rick and Charles
to determine whether the

bits of pottery were left there
by previous treasure hunters,

or by visitors to the island
before the Money Pit

was first discovered in .

You know, somebody can look at
that and from the design.

- Yeah.
- Maybe a pottery expert,

someone who's familiar
with designs from long ago.

Could it be original?
Could it be searchers?

I have no idea.

I mean, it just proves
that this whole area is spoils.

Yep.

What else is here?

'Cause Dunfield did not
go through it.

Finding the two
samples of pottery...

I mean, those are small
tokens of what

might be in the Money Pit.

What might become of
this excavation.

How many answers?
To what extent?

I mean, it's rather exciting.

Hey, Rick, what is this?

- What have you got?
- I don't know.

It looks like tile.

It's kind of curious.
What is it?

Strange looking.

It is strange. Look at the
back...

and then you look at
how flat it is on the face.

You'd think this face would be

dimpled like this, but it's not.

You're right.

I was intrigued cause Charles'
verbiage was,

"Hey, I found a piece of tile."

Tile? Really? In the Money Pit?

Let's wash it off,
and take a look at it.

We've found pottery up there.

But what's a piece of
tile doing up there?

What have you got, Rick?
Is it any clearer?

Now, it could be nothing,
and it could be something.

Really?
We got an "A-ha!" moment?

- Maybe!
- Really?

I'm not going to
tell you what I see.

- Okay.
- You tell me what you see.

Now this could be nothing, okay?

Look at this.

It looks like an "X" to me.

Charles, what does that look
like?

You can see that indent that...
You see that?

What that looks like is
a... is an an "X" with a hook,

- is what that looks like.
- Isn't that amazing?

A piece of tile featuring

a carved "X"... with a hook?

In recent years,

a growing number of
researchers and scholars,

most notably forensic geologist
Scott Wolter,

have suggested that the symbol
of a so-called,

"hooked x" is based on
an ancient rune symbol,

that was adopted by the Knights
Templar and used to mark their

path during their exploration
of North America as far back

as the th century.

Two weeks ago, during a
conference call

with New York-based author
and researcher, Zena Halpern,

the Oak Island team was
presented with two maps

and what was alleged to be
a copy of an ancient document

with markings similar
to those carved

on the stone slab found
in the Money Pit in .

Is it possible that
what Rick and Charles

are looking at is proof

that Zena Halpern's
theory is correct?

Could this really be
an important clue,

linking the Templars to what
lies buried on Oak Island?

That is an "X" with a hook.

That in and of itself
is interesting.

What would be more interesting
is to have

the geologist look at this,

and see, is this a creation
of man?

Is it rock, what is it?

And then, perhaps,
it can be dated.

- Yes.
- Maybe, it's not even indigenous

- to the North Atlantic.
- Looking at the back,

I'd be curious as to what type
of stone this is too?

- Look at that.
- It's very strange.

It is very strange.
But it's definitely stone.

Very odd.

It's not the complete "X,"
though, what it's saying is,

you're close, keep going.

And if it's an omen,
it's a good omen.

- Yep.
- Let's go, Rick.

As the operation to
clear and prep the Money Pit

area continues...

- Hey, Matt.
- How you doing?

- Hey.
- Alex.

Nice to meet you, Matt.

- Good seeing you guys again.
- Good seeing you.

Good seeing you again.

The Laginas and their
partners meet with.

Metal Detection Expert
Matt Savelle

from Canadian
Seabed Research Limited.

Okay, I think everybody
knows Matt Savelle;

Canadian Seabed Research.
Matt came in.

They re-ran some of the same
points that we did last winter,

different methodologies,
different equipment,

and now the data is back,
and you're going to get us

back in the swamp I take it,
right?

- I'll try.
- Let's see what you got.

- Don't try too hard.
- Yeah, that's right.

I guess we'll look at the,
the EM- data first.

So, the EM data,
mainly we're going to be

- looking at metal.
- Ferrous or non-ferrous.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Earlier this year,

the Oak Island team invited
Matt to run an EM metal

detection device over the
mysterious,

triangle-shaped swamp.

Make sure you cover the
area where.

- Tony pulled the stump from.
- Okay.

Equipped with highly sensitive

transmitter and receiver coils,

the EM can detect metal
objects as deep

as thirty feet below ground.

Hey, Rick!
We've got a big hit over here!

- Where to?
- Same spot where the stumps are.

After extensive processing

of the collected data,

Matt Savelle has produced a
comprehensive map that shows

metal objects at the northern
tip of the swamp as well as

near the swamp's southwestern
border.

So, we ran a lot of lines.

That's the short story of it.

But I basically narrowed it down

to the lines that we
should really focus on.

So this area over here
where we have the yellow

targets is basically,
this is the back pond.

This is the pond we couldn't
drain,

- when we drained the swamp.
- Right. Yeah.

- It's still wet back there.
- It retained its water.

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that
there's something here, right?

There's two hits over there.
That's the big hit back there.

This is the smaller hit.

It's safe to say that it's
less than a meter below the

actual stump that
we kept hitting it...

Is that where the stump is,
Rick? That you recollect?

- Yeah.
- Yeah, it was a big stump.

- And the hit is beneath it?
- I believe beneath it,

or, I mean, it could be just on
the outside, or below it.

Well, the significance, I think,

is that, if it's under
the stump that makes it very,

- very old.
- Yeah. Alright,

we'll move on to the west swamp.

This target is, I believe,
lying flat...

and it has some length to it,
just based on these targets.

- It's a big thing.
- Yeah, it's bigger than

what I've shown you in the last
two hits, so.

Can you produce all these
with GPS coordinates?

Yep. This whole
thing is on a grid.

Easting, Northing, Lat., Long.,

but I'll give you
exact positions.

- Okay. Great.
- Yeah.

These are obvious targets,
right?

In the sense that a handheld
will pick them up,

will it not? A handheld,
underwater?

- Underwater.
- Yeah.

- It would help.
- Does that mean Tony Sampson

goes in and use the
dive gear and mucks about?

Yes, yes. That's what it means.

I think it's well worth
doing, that's for sure.

Just as long as I don't have
to go in there.

- So, back to the swamp.
- Yeah, back to the swamp.

Just where you want to be.

No, look, I'm geeked about
the swamp all of a sudden.

I know, it's weird.

It's deja vu all over again.
It's three years running,

but I'd like to put an
X through things.

There's much work to do
before that happens.

We found a coin in the swamp.

We found an ancient coin.

Three years ago,
while searching in the

swamp with a metal detector,

Rick, Marty and their team
discovered a small metal

coin buried in the mud.

When the coin was later
cleaned and examined,

it was revealed to be a th
century Spanish Maravedi,

making it the oldest and
possibly the most important

object found on
Oak Island to date.

It also validated the
many stories and legends

concerning the island
that claim Spanish

explorers and even pirates
came here centuries ago

to bury a priceless treasure.

So now we have a bunch of
targets where an expert

says with a high degree
of certainty they're real

and I think we need to fish
them out of there.

Yeah. There's something there.

We have several targets
we want to investigate,

so the best way to
proceed is with a diver.

So we call Tony Sampson,
he's done work for us before,

he's a tough guy, and
an accomplished diver.

El bandito is here.

- Good to see you, buddy.
- Good to see you!

We're gonna put him
in on the first target

which is the back pond.

There's something very
significant right there.

You might actually be able

to swim, it's actually like a
meter and a half deep there.

- Fantastic.
- And then there's something

about a half a meter down.

So you're going to have to dig
through that muck.

- The muck.
- Yeah.

But what we want to try first,
Tony, you know,

back in that pond that we
can never drain.

- Aha.
- There's a stump there,

for sure, and underneath the
stump is a target,

which-which the stump was
carbon dated to pre- .

So, whatever is under there
could be very old indeed.

Fantastic.

Diver Tony Sampson
has been exploring

the waters around Oak
Island for more than a decade.

Last summer, he helped the
team identify several strange

triangle-shaped boulders
located just yards off

the island's southwestern coast.

It was also Tony, who,

while exploring the Oak
Island swamp two years ago,

found the stump of
a large oak tree.

What the hell is that?

- It's a big tree stump.
- Well, that's weird.

What's that doing out in the
middle of nowhere?

Because Oak trees
cannot grow in water,

Tony's discovery provided an
important piece of evidence to

support the theory that the
Oak Island swamp was man-made.

Let's get out and find the
targets, okay? Come on.

Excellent. Let's do it.

The obstacle for Tony
is two-fold.

One is low visibility
or zero visibility,

and the other issue of course
is can he move the material

sufficient to actually find the
target and perhaps retrieve it.

- Alright.
- Put your backs into it.

First he has to locate
the stump,

then he finds it with the metal
detector and he gets a hit,

he pin-points it with this,

- and then he tries to dig it up.
- He comes up with it.

The stinky swamp.

- I've never missed the smell.
- No, me either.

Are you on the stump?

- Yeah.
- Good.

The anomaly should
be on this front side.

Should be right over there
somewhere.

Find it.

Retrive it, don't find it.
Get it.

You want the pin-pointer?

- Alright.
- Well, that's encouraging.

Really?

Do you get a sense that
the stump is rooted?

It's not placed there?

The anomaly is it right
close or underneath that

big main one that comes...

Okay, cool.

Let us know if you want
the shovel.

Why are there stumps in the
swamp?

Big stumps.

Obviously, something
intrigues him.

Yeah.

Still getting hits?

Good.

All right.

Whoa.

- Yes.
- Really?

While looking for
metal objects buried beneath

the Oak Island swamp,
local diver, Tony Sampson,

has just made what he
and the team hopes is

an important discovery.

If it really is under the stump,

doesn't it have to be ancient?

You would think.

The stump is at least four,

four hundred years, four hundred
and fifty years old.

- You got the!
- Yes!

That would be a Fred Nolan
survey marker.

- Yep.
- He was marking the stump

probably... See if there's
anything else,

Tony, with that out of there,
please.

That's for sure one of his
markers, isn't it?

It should say on it.

Well, that can go in the museum.

Obviously, Fred had
marked the stump;

How he found it would be
curious.

Why he felt it was significant
to the point where he marked it,

I don't know. Just a few more
questions really that arose

from that discovery.

Oak Island landowner
and treasure hunter,

Fred Nolan, was convinced

that one of the
keys to solving the mystery

was located beneath
the surface of the Swamp.

When he first drained
the swamp in ,

Fred located a
number of man-made

metal and wooden objects.

Including what he believed
to be a spar, or boom,

from an ancient sailing vessel.

This led him to the belief
that Oak Island was,

at one time, not one island,
but two,

and that the swamp
itself was man-made.

According to Nolan's theory,

a treasure ship could have
been sailed into an area

between the two islands.

Then, surrounded by a
giant cofferdam,

was deliberately submerged

beneath thousands
of gallons of water,

thus creating a swamp that
would hide both the ship

and its precious cargo.

But Fred Nolan was not alone
in believing that the key

to solving the Oak Island
mystery lies buried at

the bottom of the strange,
triangle-shaped swamp.

Two years ago, Oak Island
researchers Alan Butler

and Kathleen McGowan told Rick,

Marty and the team that they
believed a vast treasure could

be found by digging in the
area of the swamp he called,

"The Enochian Chamber."

If it's ever possible to
say that "X marks the spot,"

what you're looking for is
feet due west of the Money Pit.

The prophecies about the new
Jerusalem say that the Jerusalem

will be built on
an island of swamp.

Other theories have suggested

that the swamp is hiding
everything

from the lost folios
of William Shakespeare...

to a vault containing
sacred religious objects.

But one fact is certain:

Getting to what may lie
buried in the muddy,

marshy waters of the swamp would

require an engineering feat even

more complicated and costly
than digging in the Money Pit.

It's kind of interesting
that we're out here,

and pulling up Fred's stuff.
Maybe he's clueing us in.

Yeah, keep looking, guys.
Don't give up.

You're not getting any hits now?

Nothing underneath that big
root?

Well, we found our bits
of metal.

So that's disappointing in a
sense except that it verifies

that our data's good and it's a
significant piece of metal.

So, it's a bust in the sense
that it doesn't really add

anything to the search
but it verifies the data.

On to the next target.

Look, you solved a mini-mystery,

but there's plenty more to do,
if you're up to it.

- Yep, sure thing.
- There's that one big anomaly,

and I think that's where we
should go next.

Yeah, that's next.

Well guys,
I hate to make you do this,

but we're going to have to slog
our way over to the next target,

but it's in the open water,

it'll be easier once we
get there, so let's get going.

All right.

There is where the anomaly is,
Tony.

- It should be quite large.
- Fantastic.

Yep. You're going to find
this one, no problem.

- I hope it's not a survey stake.
- Find something intriguing.

- Yeah.
- Let's go get it!

There's something here.
That's for sure.

Bring up a coin.

Anything.

How deep was this target
supposed to be, Rick?

About a foot.

Okay, here we go.

- What is that?
- Wow. It's huge.

- What is that?
- Looks like a piece of wood.

- A board.
- It's a large board.

- Are there nails in it?
- I don't see nails.

They're knots, aren't they?

They're knots, yeah.

Jack can you haul it to shore,

and maybe you can keep
looking around?

I got a hit off it so it could
be something underneath it.

That's why I'm not moving.

I'm sure there's something
down here.

Absolutely.

When Tony came up
with a big long plank,

my first thought was"
crap, there's the anomaly."

Because he said it was full of
bolts or nails

it would explain all those hits.

I'm not seeing any nails,
though.

Tony Sampson, he pulled
up this really long board,

and we didn't know
exactly what it was.

I'm normally the person
that handles

the metal detector, and so,

I was hopeful there might be
some evidence for anything metal

or anything like that;
Maybe nails.

Nothin'.

I'm not getting any hits, guys!

- Okay, good!
- Okay. Well then, two things;

Either we're way off on
our location, or it's deeper.

It's deep.

You know, I'm finally starting

to think this through,
and I'm thinking,

now wait a minute,
if he comes up with something,

it's going to be shallow;
It's going to be insignificant.

I'd prefer it to be deep.

The anomalies whatever they are,
are still down there.

Hey, Tony!

We'll call it a day unless you
got onto something real good.

Yeah, thank you.

Okay, let's go look at
that board, Rick.

There's only one possible
way to analyze that.

Tony couldn't find the
largest anomaly in the swamp.

And that is, that it's deeper
than his equipment can look.

That means that,

because it's such impenetrable
ground on that end of the swamp,

almost certainly somebody
put it down there.

By the way, you did a great job.

I mean, here Rick and
I sitting in the boat,

and you and Jack out there
working.

Sorry, but somebody
had to do it.

So... it's definitely not
our target but it's interesting.

It's longish
for dimensional lumber.

It's probably eighteen feet
long,

which is an odd dimension.

I'm thinking, plank,
either deck planking,

or the side of
the ship planking.

Because it was obvious,
it was very long.

A section of planking?

Possibly from an
old wooden ship?

How could something like this
find its way to the bottom of

the Oak Island swamp?

Could it be proof that the
incredible theory of

a treasure ship buried here is
true?

If it costs nothing
to carbon date it,

- let's do it.
- Yeah.

What's curious to me is
the fact that the bottom of

that part of the swamp,
the western side of the swamp,

is almost impenetrable bottom.

So, it had to have
been put there.

It's incredibly exciting.
And it's a dig-able target,

a legitimate dig-able target.

No stone unturned.

- Or board.
- Or board.

- Okay, fine.
- You mean, no swamp undrained.

Yeah, right, okay. Let's drain
the swamp again.

I'm settling for draining
a beer.

- Yeah.
- I like that a lot, Tony.

Nice job. Nice job, today.

While Rick, Marty and
the team await lab analysis

of their recent find at the
Oak Island swamp...

- Good morning.
- Hi Phil, Craig Tester.

How you doing, guys?

Rick Lagina and Craig Tester

have brought geologist
Phil Finck

to the island,
to inspect another...

And perhaps equally compelling
find.

If I can ask, Phil,
what is your area of expertise?

I have several specialties.

But the one that would be most
appropriate to you folks would

be the glacial geology,
and the modern processes,

things that would have happened
in the last thousands of years.

Well, we've got a few rocks
we'd like you to

- take a quick look here.
- Right. Sure.

Stones have played a
significant role in the

telling of the story
of Oak Island.

And to have someone in
a professional capacity

come and look at the stone,
and perhaps render an opinion.

Look, no one will know
better than a geologist.

Here's what we want you to take
a look at.

Yep.

A stone like that is
quite unusual.

I've not seen anything
like that.

- Have you, Craig?
- No. Not really.

It was found at surface,

but after the surface
had been removed,

probably - feet, or so?

Just laying there on
top of the soil.

It's a sedimentary rock.
It's also metamorphosed.

Cooked. Crest.

It is some sort of a sandstone.

The surface does have a
number of very fine scratches on

it those are glacial striations
that form when.

Silurian rock and ice has
another rock,

and it drags it across
the surface of this one,

and acts like tool and
they would look very

fresh when they were first done,

but over time they
weather and darken.

These other markings
on the stone,

they appear to be a man-made
feature that was scratched

onto the rock.

A man-made feature?

Could the carved stone that
Rick Lagina

and the team found near
the Money Pit

bearing a "hooked X" really
be a clue as to what

might be buried on Oak Island?

And will it prove a connection
between Oak Island and the

activities of the Knights
Templar in North America?

Perhaps the answer lies
buried deep beneath the

surface of the Money Pit,

or possibly with a plank of
wood recently recovered from

the Oak Island swamp.

As the task of clearing,

leveling and preparing the
Money Pit for excavation

enters its second week...

Rick, Marty and their partners
gather in the w*r Room.

They are eager to learn
the results of the tests

that were conducted on the
large wooden plank found

in the Oak Island swamp.

Okay, we're gonna get
Craig on the screen?

Yep. Got him right here.
Hopefully it's good news.

- Hi, Craig!
- Hey, Craig!

Hi, Guys. How's it going?

- Good!
- Good.

Looking for the results on
the carbon testing on that

plank that Tony pulled
out of the swamp.

- Talk to us about it.
- Make it good, Craig.

Okay. Well, I got results
back from Beta Analytic.

It's coming in a range,

and this again
is a percentile

anywhere from to .

Wow.

It's positive data in that
some of the dating could

fit with some of the theories.

Yeah, we're in an area where
it could be the original people

- from to .
- Right.

Well, look if it was
to , for sure,

that would be exciting,

because that means
there were people here.

They were here doing stuff.

Could Rick, Marty and the team

really have found evidence

linking the large wooden plank
they found to theories that

an ancient ship carried
treasure to Oak Island,

and was then deliberately sunk
and hidden in a man-made swamp?

If you remember,
Fred found parts of a ship,

there's parts of a
spar he found in there,

and also a section of a
ship called a scuppers.

True.

So, is there any chance that
pirates or some other ships,

maybe unrelated to the search,
crashed,

or they left some sort
of wood in the swamp?

Those things have two-inch,

three-inch four-inch
planks on them.

I mean they were, they were
ocean liners of their time.

- Unless it was a top deck.
- Well, yeah. I mean, of course.

There'd be ceiling boards

and floorboards,
and all kinds of stuff.

Well look, as far
as I'm concerned

I think there's
something in the swamp.

It's the fact that Tony Sampson
didn't find anything that

makes me wanna dig in the swamp,

because we have the EM thing
that senses very deep and it

senses something metallic.

And then Tony sweeps the bottom
and he doesn't get anything.

Well, that means that
there's something deeper.

Something that must be dug.
So, let's go dig it.

We have a hard target.

We have our best target.
We have the equipment.

We have the permits.
We're gonna go dig it up.

So, it's going to be gratifying.

I never thought I'd say it,
but I want to dig in the swamp.

He's happy to be back.

Happy to be back in the swamp.
Who would have guessed it?

We're still faced with the
most significant thing we found

has been in the swamp,
I mean it has.

The coin is the most
significant thing.

Well, the coconut
fiber in Smith's Cove.

Well, I'll take
David's position on that.

So, we drain. You do your dig.

Could be a perfect year.

- Right.
- Yup.

Okay. Well, let's call
this one quits.

Thanks for the data, Craig.
It helps us move forward,

and let's go move forward.

- Sounds good!
- Alright thanks, Craig.

Bye, guys.

- See ya, Craig.
- See ya, Craig!

For brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina,

their life-long dream of solving
the Oak Island mystery seems

closer to being realized
than ever before.

So far this year, they have
discovered numerous clues...

maps... and carvings...

that point to activity
on the island...

Hundreds of years ago.

And they have only just
scratched the surface

in their excavation
of the Money Pit,

the place where
everything started.

But, if their efforts are
successful,

what will they find?

Pirate treasure?

Sacred religious artifacts?

Or could it be something so
incredible,

it will forever change
everything we think we know

about our history?

One thing is certain...

whatever it is will
only be discovered...

when the island is ready
to reveal it.

Next time on The Curse
of Oak Island...

We've found the location
of the -foot stone.

The stone that was
brought up from the.

Money Pit with an inscription
on it.

This is it, right straight
ahead.

- It's like a maze down here.
- Yeah, jeez, look at this place.

Come take a look at this.

- Whatchya got here?
- It's a big stone.

- Look at that.
- Here they come!

Today is when it begins.

We're going to dig a big hole

in the Money Pit
find out what's there.

- Right, brother?
- Absolutely. It's go time.

- Here we go.
- Make hole!