Now that we're almost through the Covid-19 pandemic people are looking forward to travel again. Fans of the Curse of Oak Island are once again looking to visit Nova Scotia and take a trip to Oak Island, where the popular History Channel TV show is filmed.

However, will Oak Island be open to the general public in 2022?

As we reported last year, Oak Island has been closed to visitors indefinitely since the beginning of the pandemic back in 2020 and remained closed through 2021. 

Recently, the Friends of Oak Island Society released a statement on their website that due to continuing concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic, they would not be holding tours of Oak Island this year. That's not surprising, considering that The Friends of Oak Island's tour group sizes are typically around 150 people and they're no doubt worried about the safety of their guests and want to avoid creating a "super spreader event" with the potential for large scale transmission of the virus. 

​However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Oak Island Interpretive Centre won't be open to visitors for 2022 or that small group tours, hosted by Oak Island Tours Inc. will not take place. In years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, their tours have been limited to 50 people per tour. No doubt the smaller number of guests reduces the potential risks for all involved.

Due to the ongoing uncertainties regarding the pandemic, the recent Omicron variant, and the ever changing health restrictions put in place by the Province of Nova Scotia, Oak Island Tours Inc. has taken a more cautious approach. In an announcement on their website, they maintain that Oak Island is still currently closed and that they have postponed making a decision on opening for 2022 until May 1.

In a series of recent announcements by the Province of Nova Scotia, the government has established a timeline for the elimination of Covid-19 health restrictions. The first easing of restrictions began on February 14, 2022. As of right now, the elimination of vaccine passports and easing of restrictions placed on public gathering limits have been positive developments.

The provincial government has stated that it is their intention to lift all Covid-19 health restrictions by March 21, 2022, including the need for masking. You can keep up to date on Nova Scotia's Covid-19 health restrictions on the link provided.

This will no doubt be a consideration in Oak Island Tours Inc.'s decision making as we approach the May 1, 2022 deadline. Though it remains unknown what their ultimate decision will be.

We will update this page as more information becomes available.

Other Oak Island related tours will be operating in 2023, even if Oak Island Tours Inc. decides to keep the island closed to the general public.

New for 2022, Anchor Tours will be running its Oak Island Fan Experience tour. Fans of the Curse of Oak Island will not want to miss out on this! It's a day packed full of fun and all things Oak Island. The Oak Island Fan Experience takes you to places of interest and locations featured on the popular History Channel series. 

Check out the tour's itinerary in the link above. For your convenience, you can book any of our tours online on our secure Booking page.

If you have any questions regarding The Oak Island Fan Experience, please fell free to contact us.

​​As a local tour operator, Anchor Tours, has had the pleasure to take many fans of The Curse Of Oak Island to the world famous island to visit the Oak Island Interpretive Centre.

Guests often ask if they'll get a chance to see any cast members of the show. Especially fan favorites Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, or Gary Drayton.

Sometimes they do!

Despite having been to Oak Island many times, I've yet to meet any of the show's cast members. I haven't as lucky as some of my guests have been.

On occasion, I'd see Rick Lagina on Oak Island or Mahone Bay but I never wanted to intrude on his personal space by introducing myself to him. Instead, I'd casually wave or nod my head in acknowledgment of his presence.

I'd like to share with you an experience that one of my guides, Jack, had while on tour at Oak Island, where he had an opportunity to meet Rick. That day left an impression on all those who were there.

I remember that particular day well. It started out on a bad note as the weather had been rather inclement, with rain, high winds, and rough seas. It was serious enough that we received a number of cancellations from a cruise ship that was unable to dock in Halifax Harbour as a result of the deteriorating conditions.

It was early October, 2019. Hurricane Dorian had just swept through Nova Scotia a month earlier, leaving widespread damage and power outages in its wake. Storm activity isn't unusual in Nova Scotia in the fall. However, it was disappointing to see, nonetheless.

My guide, Jack, was able to hold our Oak Island Fan Experience tour in spite of the weather. The situation didn't dampen the spirits of the guests as they were looking forward to a day exploring Nova Scotia's South Shore.

The highlight of the day came when the group made its last stop at Oak Island. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Jack noticed Rick Lagina doing some work on the causeway that connects Oak Island to the Nova Scotia mainland. It was likely in need of some repair after Hurricane Dorian and the poor weather we had been having.

Naturally, as fans of The Curse of Oak Island, the group was excited to see Rick but they felt a little apprehensive in approaching him for a photo, considering the circumstances.

Knowing how much the group wanted to meet Rick, Jack stopped the tour vehicle and asked Rick if he would mind taking a moment to say hello to the group and have his picture taken with them. Rick stopped his work on the causeway and went out of his way to thank everyone for their visit to Oak Island and for being fans of the TV show.

Rick mentioned that he had some core samples from the drilling that they had been doing on the island and that they were in the back of his truck. Rick, then did something that was totally unexpected and truly a kind gesture on his part. He offered our group some of those core samples as a token of his appreciation for their visit.

Needless to say, everyone was excited to take a little piece of Oak Island home with them. Even my guide, Jack, got a few samples. One of which was given to me.

​After the tour was over, I checked in with Jack to see how the day had went. He told me the group had a great tour and told me of their experience with Rick while on Oak Island. 

I wish I'd been there to personally thank Rick for his generosity and taking the time to give my guests an experience that they won't soon forget.

​​Frankly, neither Jack nor I didn't know much about the Laginas as neither of us watched The Curse of Oak Island up to that point. Though, we had basic working knowledge regarding Rick and Marty Lagina's efforts to find the treasure there.

We were both very impressed with how approachable, generous, and appreciative Rick was towards the fans of the show. There was absolutely nothing pretentious about him.

As I would later come to learn, our experience with Rick was consistent with what I'd heard from others. Rick, Marty, and the other cast members of The Curse of Oak Island, have a true appreciation for their many fans and are generous with sharing their time with them.

On a personal note, my cousin was quite excited to have her picture taken with Rick when she spotted him in Mahone Bay. 

​Because of the kindness Rick showed to the guests of our tour, both Jack and I have the utmost respect for him and have become ardent fans of The Curse of Oak Island. We're eager to engage in conversation when anyone asks us if we've ever been there while on tour.

Since becoming a fan of the show, I realized I had a lot of catching up to do by watching previous episodes. As a Christmas gift, my family gave me the box set of DVDs on seasons 1-6. It wasn't exactly easy to find, so I very much appreciate their efforts.

I've got some binge watching ahead of me!

​After the Covid 19 Pandemic is over and Oak Island opens back up to the public in 2022, I look forward to Anchor Tours doing more visits to Oak Island once again.

The next time I have the opportunity to introduce myself to Rick, I'm going to take it. Maybe he'll let me have a photo taken with him as well.

​Until then...

It's official. Oak Island is closed for 2021.

In a decision that will disappoint many fans of the popular History Channel TV show, Curse of Oak Island, it has been announced that Oak Island will remain closed for 2021, as posted on the Oak Island Tours Inc. website. All private and public tours have been canceled and the Oak Island Interpretive Centre will remain closed until further notice.

No specific reasons were given, though under the circumstances it's reasonable to assume that it's Covid-19 related. 

At the time of this article's writing, Nova Scotia is in full lock down as the number of Covid-19 cases have dramatically increased over the last few weeks, leaving the provincial government with no other choice in an attempt to get control of the situation.

Most of Oak Island is privately owned, and both Oak Island Tours Inc. and the Friends of Oak Island Society have asked that their fans respect the posted signs and not drive across the causeway to visit the island.

Fans of the History Channel's long running TV series, The Curse of Oak Island, travel from all over the world to visit Oak Island, located in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The island has been shrouded in mystery and tales of a buried treasure that have endured for over 200 years.

Every year, thousands of people visit the island to learn of the work being done by Rick and Marty Lagina whose efforts to uncover the secrets of Oak Island and its reportedly lost treasure. Many treasure hunters have come before the Lagina brothers and have contributed to the island's fascinating history.

Oak Island is privately owned by a number of land owners. As such, most of the island is closed to the public, save for an area that is designated for the interpretive center located just off the causeway that connects the island to the mainland. The interpretive center is operated by the "Friends of Oak Island Society".

Public tours of Oak Island are not available to the general public, due to that the island is private property. The ongoing work involving heavy equipment and machinery would no doubt pose significant safety concerns, making public access to Oak Island extremely limited.

Private tours are conducted through the year and are offered by two organizations, Oak Island Tours Inc.  and the Friends of Oak Island. These tours are typically held on weekends, when the treasure finding operations have ended for the week. 

Tickets for the private tours go on sale early in the new year, generally in February or March. This year, 2020, the date was February 1. Every year, thousands of people wait with great anticipation in the hopes of securing a ticket for the highly sought after tour experience. With such a high demand, these tours sell out within just several hours after tickets are made available.

​I'm very pleased to have been able to get tickets. Having a chance to see the behind the scenes activities taking place on Oak Island and learning about the history of the island first hand, will be an experience I can't wait to share with the guests of Anchor Tours!

Jeff Babineau
Anchor Tours