Oak Island is Back

Ramble #18: Oak Island is Back

The Curse of Oak Island returned to the History Channel this week and I am excited to see where things go this season. I think I’ve been watching the show since at least the 2nd season and it seems every year they learn more and more, find more new and interesting items, and dig deeper and deeper, but they never get to the bottom of their primary question – what is buried (if anything) on Oak Island.

Previous Seasons

Over the most recent seasons things have gotten pretty elaborate and extensive as the brothers – Marty and Rick Lagina – have seemingly opened the checkbook to make progress. We’ve seen boreholes that are drilled hundreds of feet, a cofferdam that keeps out the ocean, and seismic blasting to identify the underground composition. We’ve seen the team of treasure hunters expand from the two brothers to an entire cast of characters with expertise in geology, scuba diving, construction, and metal detection to name a few. And of course the big question is…will all this finally find what is buried?

Gotta Love the Show

Personally, I’m not sure there’s anything down there but it sure is fun watching all the extremes these guys are going to in order to find whatever is there. I smile at my wife every time Gary Drayton finds a “bobby dazzler” and I get excited when I hear that scientists have placed the age of something before the 18th century. Sure, they may never find the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant but I’m enjoying the journey.

And I feel I’m learning something too.

I never knew what a cofferdam was before this show, or anything about the drilling process to dig down hundreds of feet. I’ve learned about the Templars and France, pirates and life in colonial Canada. And the cool thing is that this show has made learning things fun.

It Takes a Team

And the show also highlights what it’s like working on a team of explorers. The fact that there’s been so much honor and respect paid to the treasure hunters that have passed on while searching through Oak Island is greatly appreciated. And with the passing of Dan Blankenship earlier this year, I think this season is shaping up to be very emotional as the team knows Dan would have loved the new discoveries they’re making all the time.

It’s a Wrap

Looking back at the previous season really has me excited about where things are are going this year and if the first episode is an indicator, things look good.

I’m glad to see that they’ve turned some attention back to the swamp and the fact that they’ve identified an underwater structure that looks like a ship is pretty cool. But they haven’t given up on Smith’s Cove and their cofferdam. I think they’ll find one of the finger-drains this year and that’ll keep them pushing forward in the area. I’m not sure how much boreholing they’ll be doing this season but they’ve got plenty of things to keep them occupied this year and I think they’ll creep slowly closer to finding what lies beneath the island. Regardless, I’m gonna keep watching to see what happens and to root them on.

Ramble #18 | Oak Island is Back