Rick, Marty, Alex & Craig Investigate Vault Clues and Tunnel Dating on Oak Island

In The Curse of Oak Island Season 11 Episode 14, titled “Rick and Mortar” and aired on February 13, 2024, Rick and Marty Lagina consult with Paul from Dumas Contracting in the Money Pit area as the shaft extension nears its critical 95-foot depth. The drilling effort aims to intersect a mysterious westward-running tunnel believed to connect to the Baby Blob—an area previously identified by water analysis to contain high levels of silver and gold traces.

Despite encountering resistance in earlier boreholes, Dumas continues adding structural “sets” to safely deepen the Garden Shaft. Rick notes the importance of determining whether the tunnel predates known searcher activity, which would greatly enhance its significance.

Marty and Alex Inspect Borehole H8 for Signs of the Vault

Simultaneously, Marty and Alex Lagina visit borehole H8, where they inspect a core sample pulled from a depth of 211 feet. The team finds silt, clay, wood fragments, and—most notably—a solid piece of metal. The object is suspected to be part of a dislodged plug associated with the long-sought Chapel Vault. Given the vault’s elusive nature, the team theorizes it may have shifted or fallen deeper due to previous drilling impacts.

The discovery prompts the decision to relocate the rig for continued exploration, believing that the vault—or what remains of it—might now reside at a greater depth.

Carbon Dating Reveals 1600s Construction

Later, Rick, Alex, and Scott Barlow meet with Roger Fortin in the Dumas trailer to receive carbon dating results on a wood sample recovered from the shaft’s lower levels. The report, communicated via a call with Craig Tester, confirms the structure dates back nearly 400 years—placing its construction in the 1600s.

This is the second such sample this season to be dated over a century before the 1795 Money Pit discovery. The results significantly strengthen the theory that the tunnel system was part of original deposit activity rather than searcher-era construction.

Field Insights and Scientific Implications

• Rick Lagina emphasizes the need to understand the purpose and direction of the newly discovered tunnel.
• Marty Lagina reflects on the structural evidence and its potential link to the original vault.
• Craig Tester provides the scientific framing of the carbon dating and its historical implications.
• Alex Lagina helps coordinate communication between the Dumas team and Fellowship members.

In a segment of “Rick and Mortar,” the team reviews scientific findings that confirm 17th-century construction beneath Oak Island. The next phase of their investigation centers on reaching and examining the tunnel structure linked to the carbon-dated material, with the aim of better understanding its origin and purpose.