Something Was Found 110 Feet Beneath Smith’s Cove: The Discovery That Could Reshape the Oak Island Mystery

For more than two centuries, Oak Island has remained one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Countless expeditions have searched for the legendary treasure believed to lie beneath the infamous Money Pit, yet every attempt has encountered the same relentless obstacle: water. Season 14 of The Curse of Oak Island returned investigators to one of the island’s most critical locations—Smith’s Cove—where a remarkable discovery made approximately 110 feet below the surface may represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of the search.

What the team uncovered was not simply another artifact or isolated piece of debris. Instead, the excavation revealed evidence of deliberate underground construction, reinforcing long-held theories that Smith’s Cove served as the engineered entrance to an elaborate flood tunnel system designed to protect whatever lies hidden beneath Oak Island.

Smith’s Cove: The Heart of the Mystery

Located along the eastern shoreline of Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Smith’s Cove appears deceptively ordinary. Its quiet beach and rocky shoreline reveal little of the extraordinary history concealed beneath.

To treasure hunters and historians, however, Smith’s Cove has always represented something far more important. Since the earliest excavations in the nineteenth century, researchers have believed that this small inlet served as the origin of an ingenious flood tunnel network connected to the Money Pit.

The theory emerged after early searchers noticed that every deep excavation eventually flooded with seawater—not randomly, but in a manner suggesting deliberate engineering. Rather than groundwater naturally seeping into the shaft, seawater appeared to rush in through underground channels whenever excavators approached certain depths.

Tracing the source of this flooding repeatedly pointed investigators toward Smith’s Cove.

From that moment onward, the cove became one of the central pieces of the Oak Island puzzle.

Two Hundred Years of Frustration

Excavation efforts at Smith’s Cove span nearly every major search campaign in Oak Island’s history.

Throughout the nineteenth century, workers uncovered what appeared to be an artificial beach composed of carefully layered materials believed to function as a filtration system. The discovery supported the idea that seawater was intentionally directed underground.

Later excavations revealed additional evidence, including:

• Engineered wooden box drains
• Carefully placed timber structures
• Worked stone formations
• Human-made drainage systems
• Centuries-old construction materials

Despite these discoveries, every expedition ultimately encountered the same problems.

Flooding overwhelmed excavations.

Shafts collapsed.

Equipment failed.

Funding disappeared before work could continue.

Each investigation confirmed human engineering beneath Smith’s Cove while leaving its deepest secrets untouched.

A New Approach by the Lagina Brothers

When Rick and Marty Lagina assumed leadership of the modern search, they did not introduce an entirely new theory. Instead, they introduced better technology.

One of their most ambitious projects was the construction of a massive steel cofferdam surrounding Smith’s Cove.

Unlike previous searchers, who constantly battled incoming tides, the cofferdam temporarily isolated the excavation area from the Atlantic Ocean, allowing investigators to work in a far more controlled environment.

Inside the protected excavation zone, researchers employed modern tools, including:

• Ground-penetrating radar
• High-resolution surveying equipment
• Advanced drilling techniques
• Comprehensive material screening
• Scientific dating methods

These investigations confirmed several long-standing theories.

The artificial beach existed.

The wooden box drains were real.

Beneath them appeared to be an even older and much deeper system waiting to be explored.

Why 110 Feet Became the Target

The decision to excavate to approximately 110 feet beneath Smith’s Cove did not happen overnight.

It resulted from years of accumulated evidence gathered through drilling, radar imaging, sediment analysis, and previous excavations.

Repeated data suggested that the known flood tunnel structures extended far deeper than earlier investigators had believed.

If the true foundation of the system existed, researchers believed it would likely be found below every previously explored level.

Season 14 became the opportunity to test that theory.

Excavating at Extreme Depth

Working 110 feet below ground in a coastal environment presents extraordinary engineering challenges.

At that depth, the excavation is subjected to immense hydrostatic pressure from surrounding groundwater and tidal forces.

Massive steel casing had to support the shaft while preventing collapse.

Every bucket of excavated material required careful inspection.

Speed became secondary to safety.

Initially, crews recovered only clay and natural sediment—encouraging evidence that no previous expedition had reached this depth.

As excavation continued, however, subtle changes began appearing.

Fragments of worked material became increasingly common.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

The Discovery

At approximately 110 feet, the excavation bucket returned carrying material unlike anything recovered earlier.

Instead of ordinary sediment, investigators encountered structural material displaying unmistakable signs of deliberate placement.

The excavation paused immediately.

The team carefully examined what had emerged.

Rather than reacting dramatically, the atmosphere became noticeably quiet.

Experienced archaeologists and excavators understand that genuine discoveries demand caution before celebration.

The newly recovered material appeared organized rather than randomly distributed.

Its characteristics aligned closely with the engineering principles expected within a historical flood tunnel system.

For the first time in Oak Island’s history, investigators had reached a depth beneath Smith’s Cove where substantial structural evidence suggested deliberate construction.

Scientific Documentation

Recognizing the importance of the find, the team immediately began documenting every aspect of the discovery.

Recovered materials were:

• Logged and catalogued
• Measured precisely
• Preserved for laboratory analysis
• Sampled for dating
• Photographed extensively

Every step followed archaeological protocols intended to preserve both physical evidence and contextual information.

What the Discovery Suggests

Although laboratory analysis continues, the discovery carries several important implications.

The Flood Tunnel System May Be Deeper Than Expected

Existing models of Oak Island’s underground infrastructure assumed certain depth ranges based on previous discoveries.

Finding structural material at approximately 110 feet suggests that the flood tunnel system extends significantly deeper than earlier reconstructions indicated.

If correct, the geometry of the underground network must be reconsidered.

Evidence of Ancient Engineering

Preliminary analysis indicates that the recovered materials are consistent with historical construction rather than modern disturbance.

Whoever built the underground system appears to have possessed remarkable engineering knowledge.

Constructing durable infrastructure at such depth within a tidal coastal environment would have required:

• Careful planning
• Skilled labor
• Significant resources
• Sophisticated understanding of water management

Such an undertaking would have been extraordinary even by today’s standards.

The Structure Appears Functional

Perhaps most significant is the apparent organization of the recovered materials.

They were not randomly buried.

Instead, their placement appears consistent with components designed to perform a specific engineering function—possibly regulating or supporting the underground flood tunnel system itself.

Expert Assessment

Independent archaeologists and engineers reviewed the recovered materials without relying solely on the excavation team’s interpretations.

While experts remained appropriately cautious, they reached an important conclusion.

The material’s arrangement was not consistent with natural geological deposition.

Instead, it displayed characteristics expected of intentional human construction.

Engineers further noted that the placement made functional sense within the context of a historical water-management system.

Rather than representing isolated debris, the discovery appears to be part of a larger engineered structure.

Challenges Faced During Excavation

Reaching the target depth was far from straightforward.

The excavation encountered repeated water intrusion requiring continuous management.

Steel casing endured tremendous pressure throughout the operation.

Several times, investigators paused work to evaluate whether continuing remained safe.

Certain excavation techniques had to be abandoned because they risked damaging whatever lay below.

These careful decisions slowed progress but preserved the integrity of the discovery.

Rick and Marty Lagina’s Perspective

For Rick Lagina, the discovery represented emotional validation after years devoted to understanding Oak Island’s history.

Rather than viewing the find as the conclusion of the mystery, he regarded it as confirmation that the island’s original builders created a far more extensive underground system than many had imagined.

Marty Lagina approached the discovery differently.

His immediate question was practical:

How does this change the next excavation strategy?

To him, the 110-foot discovery marked not an ending but a new reference point from which future investigations could proceed with greater precision.

Together, their perspectives highlight an important truth.

Major archaeological discoveries rarely provide final answers.

Instead, they generate better questions.

What Comes Next?

The discovery beneath Smith’s Cove does not reveal who built Oak Island’s underground system.

It does not identify what, if anything, lies hidden within the Money Pit.

Nor does it solve every mystery surrounding the island.

What it does provide is something arguably more valuable:

Physical evidence that deliberate underground construction extends to at least 110 feet beneath Smith’s Cove.

This finding forces researchers to reconsider existing maps of the flood tunnel network.

If the system begins deeper than previously believed, then earlier attempts to intercept or disable those tunnels may have targeted the wrong elevation altogether.

Future excavation strategies will likely incorporate:

• Updated underground mapping
• Revised tunnel models
• Deeper drilling targets
• Additional archaeological analysis
• Expanded structural investigation

A Turning Point in the Oak Island Investigation

The story of Oak Island has always been defined by the distance between speculation and proof.

Over two centuries, investigators have uncovered countless intriguing clues, yet definitive evidence has remained elusive.

The Season 14 excavation at Smith’s Cove narrows that gap.

While it stops short of solving the island’s greatest mystery, it establishes with unprecedented confidence that substantial human-made construction exists at a depth never before documented at this location.

Smith’s Cove still holds many unanswered questions.

The complete flood tunnel system remains only partially understood.

The ultimate destination of those tunnels—and whether they truly protect the legendary Money Pit—remains unknown.

Yet one fact now appears clearer than ever.

At 110 feet below Smith’s Cove, investigators found compelling evidence that Oak Island’s hidden engineering extends deeper than anyone had previously proven.

Rather than ending the mystery, this remarkable discovery opens an entirely new chapter in one of the world’s longest-running archaeological investigations.