Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, and Craig Tester Investigate Garden Shaft Bubbles and Hidden Tunnel Clues on Oak Island (S10E3)

In Season 10, Episode 3 of The Curse of Oak Island, Rick and Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, and their team focus on the Garden Shaft area as a new round of core drilling reveals strange underground bubbles and a possible void near 108 feet. This observation triggers renewed excitement among the fellowship and leads to the introduction of a rehabilitation plan by Dumas Contracting Limited—offering the possibility for team members to go underground for the first time in search of treasure.

Air Date	November 29, 2022
Episode	The Curse of Oak Island – Season 10, Episode 3: “Bubbling Over”
Main Cast Featured	Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, Paul Troutman, Steve Guptill, Terry Matheson, Dr. Ian Spooner

Drilling Reveals Pressure and Mystery

While geologist Terry Matheson, surveyor Steve Guptill, and historian Paul Troutman monitor drilling at Borehole 8.5-N13.5, they encounter loose, disturbed soil—suggesting the proximity of a manmade structure. The absence of wood leaves the team cautious, but it’s what happens next that stirs major interest.

At the nearby Garden Shaft, bubbles begin surfacing from the water.

Terry Matheson: “We’re transmitting pressure as they case forward from the drill rig along that tunnel over into the Garden Shaft.”

The team suspects that a tunnel system might connect to the shaft, raising the prospect that it could be a pathway to the long-sought treasure vault.

Rick Lagina: “It means there’s a void or voids down there… possibly a tunnel connected to the Garden Shaft.”

Evidence Collection and Analytical Response

Water samples are quickly collected for analysis by geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner in hopes of confirming elevated metal content, including gold.

Meanwhile, the disturbance and void observations validate suspicions of an engineered network beneath Oak Island’s surface, possibly used to conceal treasure or booby-trap efforts.

Craig Tester: “The water sample had gold in it. Let’s not forget that.”

Dumas Plans a Descent

In the War Room, Doug Crowell introduces representatives from Dumas Contracting Limited, a top-tier Canadian mining contractor. The company proposes a detailed rehabilitation of the 10×10 Garden Shaft, including re-lining and sealing, to allow safe access for human exploration.

Tony Linton (Dumas): “We can go in any direction at any elevation.”

The plan includes the ability to probe-drill horizontally into suspected voids, vastly expanding the search capability.

Rick Lagina: “We’ve never been able to go underground in a Money Pit, and yet everyone before us for 200 and some years have been underground.”

Looking Ahead

The proposal marks a pivotal moment. For the first time in the show’s history, the team is on the verge of direct, boots-on-the-ground access into the Oak Island mystery.

Marty Lagina: “The idea of rehabilitating a shaft so we can get underground is exciting because actually being there, actually getting down and seeing things is always the best—the best data. And I think we can trace the gold in the water, then we can find the treasure if it’s here and figure out what exactly happened on this island. I think we need to get down under the ground. That’s where I’m at.”