About This Artifact
A clay pipe stem was recovered from the seafloor north of Oak Island by diver Tony Sampson during Season 11 filming. Sampson was working with Alex Lagina, Jack Begley, and underwater imaging expert Ken Deboer, who was operating an ROV. The dive targeted the area where Fred Nolan had long argued an artificial wall existed near the swamp's seaward edge. Sampson used a metal detector while scanning the bottom.
The pipe stem was found near a large boulder along with pieces of pottery bearing blue markings. Earlier in the same dive Sampson had located a piece of worked timber measuring roughly twelve by six inches, and additional timber nearby. His metal detector then registered what he thought could be a coin near the boulder, but provincial government permission was required before further recovery from the seabed.
The find lies outside the traditional treasure-hunting areas on the eastern drumlin and the swamp itself, placing it in a zone Nolan had argued was modified by whoever did the original work on the island. The presence of worked timber and ceramics on the seabed in this area suggests at least episodic human activity or the deposition of material from a vessel. No laboratory analysis or pipe-stem borehole measurement has been publicly reported for this specific find, so a narrow manufacture date cannot be assigned.
Historical Context
The Curse of Oak Island, Season 11, Episode 1, "On the Money" (History Channel, November 7, 2023). Eyewitnesses on screen: Tony Sampson, Alex Lagina, Jack Begley, Ken Deboer. Context: Fred Nolan's long-standing assertion of an artificial wall north of the swamp, repeated across his interviews and his Treasure of Oak Island film footage; on-screen dive conducted under Nova Scotia provincial permits.
Where It Was Found
Found at Seafloor north of Oak Island, near a large boulder — Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
