Draining Smith's Cove
The team builds an enormous cofferdam at Smith's Cove, pumping out the Atlantic to excavate the beach for the first time in modern history. The results are extraordinary: a U-shaped wooden structure with Roman numerals carved into its timbers, a mysterious underground wall, a stone-lined drainage system, and what appears to be a slipway leading into the ocean. Each discovery suggests large-scale construction activity centuries before the Money Pit was found in 1795. A bejeweled brooch recovered on Lot 21 and a possible crossbow bolt on Lot 26 push the artifact record further back in time. At the Money Pit, the team sinks exploratory boreholes and confirms the presence of a flood tunnel through a positive dye test, connecting Smith's Cove to the Money Pit for the first time with physical evidence.
Key Discoveries
Smith's Cove slipway (boat ramp), lead cross isotope analysis confirms Southern France origin, Roman pilum (crossbow bolt), U-shaped structure with blue clay, 14th century brooch fragment with gold
Key People
Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, Alex Lagina, Dave Blankenship, Dan Blankenship, Gary Drayton, Billy Gerhardt, Charles Barkhouse, Doug Crowell, Steve Guptill, Laird Niven, Dr. Ian Spooner, Dr. Christa Brosseau, Carmen Legge, Tom Nolan, Jack Begley, Terry Matheson, Dan Henskee, Paul Troutman
All Episodes
22 episodesRick's Big Bang Theory
Rick and Marty Lagina gather their team, including Craig Tester, Dave Blankenship, Dan Blankenship, Charles Barkhouse, Jack Begley, Doug Crowell, and metal dete...
Gold Rush
Rick Lagina and metal detection expert Gary Drayton bring the bejeweled brooch they discovered on Lot 21 to the home of veteran treasure hunter Dan Blankenship,...
Depth Perception
Rick and Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, Dave Blankenship, and Charles Barkhouse travel to Eagle Canada's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, to receive the results of their seismic survey.
A Legacy Revealed
Rick Lagina presents metal detection expert Gary Drayton's latest find to the team and archaeologist Laird Niven: a metal object resembling a crossbow bolt, dis...
Homecoming
The team drills borehole HI-4 at the Money Pit, targeting a network of tunnels detected by seismic imaging at roughly 100 feet.
Precious Metal
Construction of the 525-foot steel cofferdam at Smith's Cove continues as the Irving Equipment crew, led by Mike Jardine, drives the final interlocking steel sheets into the seabed.
Rock Solid
The 525-foot steel cofferdam surrounding Smith's Cove reaches completion as Irving Equipment Limited drives the last of 117 interlocking steel sheets some 25 feet into the seabed.
Unearthed
With the 525-foot steel cofferdam now complete, Rick and Marty Lagina begin the massive excavation of Smith's Cove, a nearly 12,000-square-foot area that has never been fully explored.
As Above, So Below
At Smith's Cove, the team finishes exposing the U-shaped structure first discovered by Dan Blankenship in 1971.
Fingers Made of Stone
Alex Lagina, Doug Crowell, and Paul Troutman travel ten miles northeast to the Lordly House in Chester, Nova Scotia, where the Chester Municipal Heritage Societ...
Wharfs and All
At Smith's Cove, Rick Lagina, Craig Tester, and geologist Terry Matheson continue excavating a newly discovered wooden structure that appears to parallel the U-...
Slipway When Wet
At the Money Pit, Marty Lagina and Craig Tester supervise as the Irving Equipment crew, including Vanessa Lucido and Danny, fires up the oscillator to break thr...
The Paper Chase
At Smith's Cove, while excavating the area around the slipway, archaeologist Laird Niven makes a surprising discovery: a concrete wall buried approximately three feet below the ocean floor.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Cenote
Craig Tester and Jack Begley meet the Centre of Geographic Sciences team at the Oak Island marina to conduct a marine survey of the waters off the island's southern shore.
Dye Harder
The H-8 sinkhole that formed two days earlier remains a serious concern as Rick Lagina and Craig Tester survey the damage at the Money Pit.
Detour
In the War Room, Rick and Marty Lagina and Craig Tester discuss the results of the dye test conducted at the Money Pit.
Clue or False?
In the War Room, Rick and Marty Lagina and members of the team meet with professional surveyor Steve Guptill, who has compiled roughly a dozen historical survey...
Heavy Metal
At the Money Pit, Rick Lagina, geologist Terry Matheson, and the team continue excavating borehole S-6, which three days earlier penetrated what they believe to...
Striking Distance
At the Money Pit, historians Doug Crowell and Paul Troutman, geologist Terry Matheson, and crane operator Danny monitor the excavation of the 60-inch borehole GG-1.
Short Days and Tall Knights
A strike by unionized Nova Scotia crane operators brings Money Pit drilling to an abrupt halt, with the walkout potentially lasting three weeks.
Seismic Matters
Craig Tester, Rick Lagina, and Marty Lagina discuss strategy as the workers' strike continues, expected to last the full 21 days.
Lost and Founding
Rick and Marty Lagina and Dave Blankenship visit Dan Blankenship to share the results of dendrochronological analysis of wood from the U-shaped structure at Smi...