Diggin' Oak Island

50 episodes listed below

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Oak Island fandom with a raised eyebrow.

The gist

Diggin' Oak Island tracks The Curse of Oak Island episode by episode, with Dave McBride weighing the latest caissons, stakes, boulders, maps, and Money Pit theories. It suits fans who enjoy the mystery but still want the show’s leaps of logic tested out loud.

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About Diggin' Oak Island

Diggin' Oak Island is built for the long, strange patience of Oak Island fandom. Dave McBride follows The Curse of Oak Island closely, but the podcast is not just a recap machine. It is a running audit of the island's claims, discoveries, theories, and television logic. One week might linger on a caisson grinding toward a solution channel. Another might circle wooden stakes in the swamp until the phrase “ancient survey stake” starts to feel less like evidence and more like a dare. The show is strongest when it slows down and asks a plain question: what would this actually prove? McBride brings that question to Lot 8 boulders, Nolan's Cross, blue clay, the Money Pit, old spikes, sand roads, Templar speculation, and assorted ciphers. He is open to the fun of a grand theory, as shown in the interview with author Michael Barber, but he does not let enthusiasm erase the need for support. Listener emails give the show much of its shape. They introduce disagreements, old legends, questions about survey stakes and scuppers, and challenges from fans who know the show’s history as well as he does. The mood is conversational and lived-in. There are Patreon chats during U.S. broadcasts, Facebook threads, direct messages, and enough running jokes to make the mystery feel like a weekly gathering rather than a lecture. The humor is dry and sometimes exasperated. Episode titles get roasted. Dramatic narration gets challenged. Familiar island logic gets pulled apart piece by piece. Still, the podcast is not hostile to Oak Island. It is invested. That is the key distinction. Diggin' Oak Island keeps one boot in the treasure hunt and one boot on firmer ground, making it a useful listen for people who want the romance of the mystery without giving every theory a free pass.

Made for: For dedicated Oak Island viewers who follow the TV episodes, remember the old theories, and enjoy detailed arguments about what counts as evidence. It also fits mystery fans who like treasure lore filtered through humor and skepticism.

What sets it apart: The show pairs episode-by-episode coverage with active listener debate, so theories are tested against fan memory, old claims, and practical questions. Its voice is less breathless recap than companionable cross-examination.

In their own words

A podcasters journey to discover the truth behind the Oak Island Money Pit mystery.

Why you'd press play

Another wooden stake gets called potentially ancient; Dave McBride voices the question you were yelling at the TV.

Press play if you want

  • someone to ask what a wooden stake actually proves about the Money Pit
  • a recap that questions the leap from blue clay to a sealed treasure chest
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
The Curse of Oak Island recapsMoney Pit theoriesNolan's Crosswooden survey stakesLot 8 boulder featuresblue clay and soil claimsTemplar and cipher theorieslistener emails and Patreon chat

Talks about

Best episodes of Diggin' Oak Island

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

Season 13 Episode 22 - Road TripApr 16, 2026

An Oak Island claim is measured against missing proof, Blankenship logic, and the swamp debris debate.

Dave McBride handles an Oak Island tall tale by asking what would have to be true for it to make sense. In his view, the story depends on Dan and Dave Blankenship either overlooking activity close to them or being paid to keep quiet.

Season 13 Episodes 20 & 21Apr 8, 2026

A skeptical Oak Island recap where survey stakes, swamp work, and shorts jokes test the treasure theory.

Dave McBride turns a two-episode Oak Island recap into a dry, skeptical read on the renewed swamp work, now that permitting issues have cleared and Billy Gerhardt can run the excavator again.

Season 13 Episode 19 - Axis of MedievalMar 25, 2026

A listener question gives this Oak Island review its sharpest test: medieval theories should meet the ground they claim to explain.

Season 13 Episode 19, "Axis of Medieval," works best when it presses Oak Island's medieval ideas against what the show is actually willing to test.

Season 13 Episode 18 - Breaking The SealMar 20, 2026

Ground caving around a caisson and a spike found at 167 feet sharpen Dave McBride's skeptical eye.

Ground caving around a caisson gives this Oak Island review a clear line to follow. Dave McBride tracks the team's trouble around TPF1, then moves to the wash plant's old spike or nail and the lab talk that comes with it.

Season 13 Epiosde 17 - The Missing LinksMar 12, 2026

A dry-eyed review of blue clay, wooden stakes, and theories moving faster than the evidence.

This PlayNext review reads the Oak Island speculation as a study in how a clue gets promoted into a conclusion. Tom Nolan's talk of a possibly man-made feature and a cross structure is kept in the realm of possibility, with little analysis to support the leap.

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Episodes

  1. 1

    Season 13 Episode 22 - Road Trip

    ["Season 13 Episode 22, 'Road Trip,' centers on the swamp's newly labeled 'sand road,' Lot 8's cradle feature, MS1 in the Money Pit, and a stone-shot argument with Dr.

    Apr 16, 2026·41m·4 clips
  2. 2

    Season 13 Episodes 20 & 21

    Diggin' Oak Island covers The Curse of Oak Island season 13 episodes 20 and 21, "The Sands of Time" and "A Sacred Symbol," with Dave McBride tracking the swamp, Lot 5, Lot 8, and Peacock One.

    Apr 8, 2026·41m·2 clips
  3. 3

    Season 13 Episode 19 - Axis of Medieval

    Dave McBride's recap of Season 13 Episode 19, Axis of Medieval, centers on Lot 5, Lot 8, and the show's latest church-alignment claims.

    Mar 25, 2026·30m·2 clips
  4. 4

    Season 13 Episode 18 - Breaking The Seal

    Hidden gem

    ["Digging Oak Island's Season 13 Episode 18, \"Breaking the Seal,\" opens on Steve's viewership chart, which Dave McBride says has the show averaging about 1.5 million viewers after a weak November debut near 1 million.", "Dave then traces the \"seven must die\" curse to a January 1967 True magazine article by Jack Sively and ties it to the Restall family tragedy and an unnamed Nova Scotia woman.", "The Money Pit segment covers the failed K1 caisson lift, the restart at Top Pocket Find No.

    Mar 20, 2026·33m·2 clips
  5. 5

    Season 13 Epiosde 17 - The Missing Links

    Hidden gem

    Dave McBride spends "Season 13 Episode 17 - The Missing Links" pushing back on War of 1812 and Freemason theories by tying them to the timing of the George Washington Funeral Earn Medal and the Oak Island money pit.

    Mar 12, 2026·30m·2 clips
  6. 6

    Season 13 - Episode 16 - Raising the Stakes

    Dave McBride reviews Season 13, Episode 16 of The Curse of Oak Island, titled “Raising the Stakes,” and challenges several interpretations of its finds.

    Mar 5, 2026·42m·2 clips
  7. 7

    Season 13 Episode 15 - Swamped

    Dave McBride says the Portuguese coin's connection to James Pitblado and a drill bit remains unsupported by evidence shown in the Ground Zero special.

    Feb 25, 2026·29m·2 clips
  8. 8

    Mid-Season Q&A

    Dave McBride answers listener emails during the two-week break in season 13 of The Curse of Oak Island, questioning why wooden stakes from the swamp show no rot in acidic Nova Scotia soil.

    Feb 19, 2026·46m·2 clips
  9. 9

    Season 13 Episode 14 - The Shining

    Dave McBride opens Diggin' Oak Island with listener Steve's research dating the swamp road to 1965-1969, around the formation of the Triton Alliance, and argues the road trapped water and buried artifacts deeper.

    Feb 4, 2026·44m·2 clips
  10. 10

    Season 13 Episode 13 - Testing Their Metal

    Jan 28, 2026·39m
  11. 11

    Season 13 Episode 12 - A Fort Knight

    Jan 21, 2026·33m
  12. 12

    Season 13 Episode 11 - A Knight's Journey

    Jan 16, 2026·36m
  13. 13

    Season 13 Episodes 9 and 10

    Jan 9, 2026·48m
  14. 14

    Season 13 Episode 8 - Into The Fold

    Dec 24, 2025·16m
  15. 15

    Season 13 Episode 7 - Walk The Line

    Dec 17, 2025·38m
  16. 16

    Season 13 Episode 6 - The Heat Is On

    Dec 10, 2025·45m
  17. 17

    Season 13 Episode 5 - Keep On Rockin

    Dec 5, 2025·23m
  18. 18

    Season 13 Episode 4 - The Smoking Gun

    Nov 26, 2025·40m
  19. 19

    Season 13 Episode 3 - Medieval Intentions

    Nov 19, 2025·34m
  20. 20

    Season 13 Episode 2 - Billion Dollar Baby

    Nov 12, 2025·41m
  21. 21

    Season 13 Episode 1 - The Comeback

    Nov 6, 2025·37m
  22. 22

    Interview with Author Michael Barber

    Hidden gem

    Dave McBride interviews author Michael Barber about his book 'Oak Island Solved: Treasure Map of the Knights Templar' and his personal journey into the Oak Island mystery.

    Oct 25, 2025·27m·1 clip
  23. 23

    Early 20th Century Digs

    Oct 13, 2025·26m
  24. 24

    Theories-Palooza

    Sep 21, 2025·32m
  25. 25

    State of the Pod 2025

    Sep 9, 2025·26m
  26. 26

    Season 12 Listener Review - Part Two

    This episode is part two of season 12 listener reviews for the Digging Oak Island podcast, featuring sponsor ads and a brief host introduction.

    Jun 17, 2025·46m
  27. 27

    Season 12 Listener Review - Part One

    Dave McBride introduces a listener review episode for Season 12 of the Digging Oak Island podcast, discussing the ongoing mystery and treasure hunt on Oak Island.

    Jun 6, 2025·38m
  28. 28

    Season 12 Episode 25 - Uplifting Discoveries

    May 21, 2025·35m
  29. 29

    Season 12 Episode 24 - Into the Void

    May 14, 2025·24m
  30. 30

    Season 12 Episode 23 - Family Ties

    May 9, 2025·28m
  31. 31

    Season 12 Episode 22 - Knight After Knight

    Apr 30, 2025·34m
  32. 32

    Season 12 Episodes 20 and 21

    Apr 24, 2025·29m
  33. 33

    Season 12 Episode 19 - Barreling Forward

    Apr 9, 2025·28m
  34. 34

    Season 12 Episode 18 - If The Shoe Phips

    Apr 3, 2025·41m
  35. 35

    Season 12 Episode 17 - Boots on the Ground

    Mar 26, 2025·47m
  36. 36

    Season 12 Episode 16 - Open Sesame

    Mar 21, 2025·41m
  37. 37

    Season 12 Episode 15 -Channeling the Solution

    Mar 13, 2025·29m
  38. 38

    Season 12 Episode 14 - Sinking In

    Mar 5, 2025·33m
  39. 39

    Season 12 Episode 13 - Caisson Ho!

    Feb 26, 2025·27m
  40. 40

    Season 12 Episode 12 - Mapping It Out

    Feb 13, 2025·51m
  41. 41

    Season 12 Episode 11 - Best Caisson Scenario

    Feb 6, 2025·29m
  42. 42

    Seasopn 12 Episode 10 - Graves Concerns

    Jan 29, 2025·30m
  43. 43

    Season 12 Episode 9 - Brick by Brick

    Jan 23, 2025·30m
  44. 44

    Season 12 Episode 8 - A Bead on a Target

    Jan 15, 2025·25m
  45. 45

    Season 12 Episode 7 - It's All Your Vault

    Jan 10, 2025·25m
  46. 46

    Season 12 Episode 6 - Hide and Seek

    Jan 3, 2025·30m
  47. 47

    Season 12 Episode 5 - A Flood of Secrets

    Dec 13, 2024·31m
  48. 48

    Season 12 Episode 4 - Concrete Evidence

    Dec 5, 2024·28m
  49. 49

    Season 12 Episode 3 - The Saga Continues.

    The host introduces the Digging Oak Island podcast, which explores the mystery of Oak Island and its legendary treasure.

    Nov 27, 2024·41m
  50. 50

    Season 12 Episode 2 - Whistle While You Work

    Dave McBride introduces the podcast, thanks listeners, and promotes Patreon and Venmo support before reading listener emails.

    Nov 21, 2024·41m