The hunt for the Oak Island money pit has begun anew, as “The Curse of Oak Island” Season 11 debuts on the History Channel. The season premiere reunites much of the old Oak Island Fellowship for yet another chapter in the modern world’s most bizarre treasure hunt.
Believing themselves to be — potentially — following in the footsteps of past freemasons, the Knights Templar, 17th century English explorers, and/or Spanish pirates, the cast of “The Curse of Oak Island” are often surprisingly subdued compared to their historical predecessors. That said, their work is no less entertaining almost a decade after the series premiered in 2014. Though some fan favorites such as Miriam Amirault don’t seem to be returning for this outing, most of the scientists, experts, historians, and family friends helping Rick and Marty Lagina are still passionately committed to discovering the truth about the infamous Nova Scotian conspiracy theory.
The Laginas are back for Season 11
Of course, if there are two people bound to return until every last inch of the island has been searched for treasure: Rick and Marty Lagina. The two brothers have led “The Curse of Oak Island’s” treasure hunting operations since 2014, and have been heavily invested in the Oak Island mystery since they were young children (the infamous 1965 issue of “Readers Digest” that initially sparked their interest is currently preserved and displayed at their base of operations). They have been characterized as everything from perpetrators of a great hoax to the last real treasure hunters alive.
The brothers own most of Oak Island, having been previously financed in large part by Marty’s numerous successful business ventures. Before the series began, he worked for a number of oil companies (including Amoco) as a petroleum engineer, and during the same time earned his Doctor of Law from the University of Michigan. He’s founded two companies, one of which sold for $58 million in the late 90s. Alex Lagina, Marty’s son, also appears on the show, having inherited his father’s fascination with the legendary bounty. The final family member seen in the Season 11 premiere is Marty and Rick’s nephew (and Alex’s cousin) Peter Fornetti, who has appeared on the series several times before, though he is only present via video feed in the most recent episode.
Technicians, experts, and family friends
Marty Lagina’s fellow engineer and business partner Craig Tester is back for Season 11 of “The Curse of Oak Island,” as is his stepson Jack Begley (having been two of the series’ founding cast members back in 2014). In addition to serving as producers on the series, Tester and Begley participate as onscreen personalities (the latter usually taking a more hands-on role than the former, though both interact frequently with the various scientists and experts involved).
Speaking of the personnel that make the vast majority of the search possible, many collaborators from previous seasons are part of the Season 11 search team. Business owner and Lunenburg local Billy Gerhardt will once again be supplying the lion’s share of the equipment seen on the show — much of which is used by land surveyor Steve Guptill. Meanwhile, leading the season’s first aquatic expedition are rockstar diver Tony Sampson and underwater imaging expert Ken Deboer.
Arguably the most memorable part of the Season 11 premiere is Gary Drayton, the eccentric metal detection expert who recovers four coins from three different countries in this first episode alone. Judi Rudebusch, a researcher who previously provided crucial analysis related to Zena Halpern, is seen during the team’s initial video conference.
The scientists of Oak Island
Of the wide range of scientists employed by “The Curse of Oak Island,” the archaeological team is perhaps the most prominent. It is led by Laird Niven, another longtime cast member who can be seen presiding over various excavations over the years. This season, he is joined by fellow archaeologists Jamie Kouba and Fiona Steele, as well as archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan. Archaeologist Helen Sheldon and environmental scientist Moya Macdonald also appear to be part of this team, though they are only seen during the initial video conference in the Season 11 premiere.
Leading the sonic drilling operation is geologist and Oak Island favorite Terry Matheson. Geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner and hydrogeologist Dr. Fred Michel are also back for Season 11, though their presence is limited in the season premiere. Sandy Campbell, a numismatist, is responsible for determining the origins of the various coins discovered on the island.
Oak Island aficionados
Given its unique (and admittedly historically dubious) lore, searching Oak Island effectively requires the assistance of dedicated historians. Returning for Season 11 are Charles Barkhouse, Scott Barlow, Doug Crowell, and Danny Hennigar.
Barkhouse, a high ranking freemason, is one of the series’ most relied-upon Oak Island historians in addition to being one of its founding cast members. He and Barlow (also credited as the Oak Island Operations Manager) are heavily involved with Oak Island Tours Inc. Hennigar, meanwhile, curates exhibits for the Oak Island museum. Though Crowell is also a respected Oak Island historian, he works primarily with the Centre of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia. He was instrumental in helping the team understand the controversial theories of Zena Halpern, which are referenced numerous times in the season premiere.
Last — though most certainly not least — of the Oak Island experts is Dan Henskee, one of very few treasure hunters who have dedicated the majority of their careers to finding the Oak Island money pit. Believed by fans to be in his early-to-mid-80s, Henskee hasn’t been as directly involved with the hunt in recent years (his original partner and peer Dan Blankenship passed away just before Season 7 at the age of 95).