Rick Lagina’s discovery of $110 million in pirate gold beneath Oak Island, triggered by a hidden journal and a secret shaft, not only reveals a long-lost pirate empire but also unleashes deadly flood traps and government scrutiny, leaving treasure hunters and historians alike stunned and awestruck.

In a discovery that has stunned treasure hunters and historians alike, Rick Lagina has unearthed what could be the most significant treasure in Oak Island’s enigmatic history: a staggering $110 million in pirate gold, buried deep beneath layers of time and secrecy.

The find began innocuously enough during the twelfth season of the famed “Curse of Oak Island” series, when the team stumbled upon an old leather-bound journal, thought to have belonged to a pirate operative who mapped out secret routes and stashes across Nova Scotia in the 17th century.

Little did they know this journal was just the tip of a centuries-old iceberg.

The next day, on a foggy morning of early May 2025, the Oak Island team uncovered a previously hidden shaft near the notorious Money Pit, a location that has long been the focal point of myths and failed excavations.

“We knew the island still had secrets, but nothing could prepare us for what lay beneath,” Rick Lagina told the crew as they peered down the narrow opening, flashlights illuminating the damp, ancient walls.

The shaft led them to a vast chamber untouched for over three centuries, where the pirate gold was meticulously hidden, coins stacked in chests and artifacts carefully preserved despite the passage of time.

Just as excitement peaked, the team realized the danger they faced.

Old flood tunnels, a primitive but effective booby trap system, had been activated.

Water surged through hidden channels, threatening to engulf the newly discovered treasure.

“It was like stepping into history and fighting it at the same time,” said Alex Lagina, Rick’s brother and long-time co-investigator on the Oak Island digs.

Crew members scrambled to secure the gold and ensure no one was harmed, while engineers worked frantically to seal off the inflow.

Among the gold lay a mysterious ledger, previously unknown to historians.

Inscribed with coded entries and detailed accounts of pirate alliances and trading routes, the ledger provides evidence that Oak Island was not just a hiding place for random stolen loot — it was the hub of a sophisticated pirate empire operating in the Atlantic.

“This changes everything we thought we knew about piracy in North America,” said a historian who examined the ledger.

The entries detailed transactions worth thousands in 17th-century currency, secret agreements with merchant families in Europe, and cryptic warnings to avoid double-crossing certain factions, shedding light on how organized piracy truly was.

The discovery has immediately drawn attention from scholars and government officials alike.

Security personnel have been stationed on Oak Island to ensure that both the site and the historical documents are preserved, with a classified team evaluating the ledger for its potential impact on historical records.

“We never anticipated government involvement,” Rick Lagina admitted, reflecting on the sudden influx of official observers and preservation specialists.

While the treasure’s monetary value is breathtaking, the cultural and historical implications are even more profound.

Oak Island, long considered a mystery of dubious practicality, now stands as a verified center of pirate operations, offering insights into the sophisticated methods pirates used to protect and catalog their wealth.

For the Lagina brothers, the discovery represents the culmination of decades of dedication, skepticism, and perseverance, finally vindicating years of speculation and exploration.

Despite the monumental find, the team continues to tread carefully.

The island’s traps remain a hazard, and the preservation of the ledger and gold requires meticulous planning.

Scholars are already interpreting the ledger’s cryptic codes, attempting to map the broader network of pirate activity suggested by its entries.

Collectors, historians, and treasure enthusiasts worldwide are eagerly following developments, recognizing that Oak Island may forever redefine the story of piracy in North America.

Rick Lagina’s historic find has not only unearthed a fortune of gold but also reshaped the narrative of Oak Island, confirming that some legends, no matter how long buried, are rooted in truth.

The discovery continues to reverberate across media, history circles, and among the millions of viewers who have followed the saga over two decades.

What was once dismissed as folklore now stands as a testament to the cunning, organization, and reach of early pirate empires, and to the relentless determination of those who seek to uncover history, one shovel at a time.

This extraordinary combination of peril, fortune, and revelation has ensured that Oak Island will remain in the public imagination for generations to come, a site where legend and reality collide in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.