For nine seasons, “The Curse of Oak Island” has undoubtedly made a name for itself as one of the most successful treasure hunting shows ever, even though the Lagina brothers never really seem to make any progress in their search. The series follows Rick and Marty Lagina (along with a ragtag team of treasure hunters) as they attempt to solve the centuries-old mystery around the titular Oak Island — a mystery centered around the elusive “Money Pit.”
According to local legend, the mystery of the Island began back in 1795, when a group of teenagers uncovered a manufactured shaft burrowed into the ground on the east side of the island, featuring wooden platforms every 10 feet down and extending 90 feet below the earth (via History).
Coined “The Money Pit,” since it was supposedly the actual resting spot of whatever treasure the island holds, the pit’s exact location has been lost for decades. The Lagina brothers spend most of their time digging where they think the original shaft might have been.
Unfortunately, their efforts are constantly undermined by apparent “booby traps” left all over the island — tunnels designed to flood any excavation when somebody digs too deep. The Laginas claim that the existence of these traps confirms something hidden on that island, but more pessimistic fans dispute whether or not the island is booby-trapped at all.
Booby traps? Or just bad luck?
According to one fan on Reddit, the real reason the island floods so often is not from any manufactured booby traps but has everything to do with geology and the passage of time. Redditor u/Z0PL0NIX explained that the booby trap theory is based on the supposedly artificial “box drains” placed all over the island and connected at a single point. As the user points out, “any two points can make a line. Find anything on Oak Island, and you can draw a line from it to the Money Pit.”
The Redditor indicates that decades after the original tunnel flooded, a geological study was conducted on the ground beneath the island. “It determined that Oak Island is sitting on porous limestone and anhydrite with lots of underground cavities,” he says. “100% explaining why if you dig it, it will flood.”
Other studies confirmed that the sea level was much lower back when the shaft was discovered in the 1700s. “It means that it was possible to dig on Oak Island in the past without it flooding on you, but it is also a minus to the flood tunnel theory as it provides further evidence as to why the island floods when dug,” u/Z0PL0NIX added.
So more than likely, the island is not purposely booby-trapped, but it’s simply a porous piece of land that provides difficult circumstances for the Laginas. It’s not exactly the ideal spot to start a decades-long treasure hunt.