The Staggering Amount Of Time Curse Of Oak Island's David Blankenship Spent Treasure Hunting

History's "The Curse of Oak Island" has been going strong for nine seasons and counting. Set on the titular island, which is located just off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, the reality series follows a group of explorers as they venture deep into the forests to look for jewels and rare artifacts. According to legend, seven men will die before the island's ultimate prize is found. At the time of this writing, however, 14 people have died and the whereabouts of the treasure remains a mystery (per Oak Island Compendium).

That being said, the efforts of the hosts and explorers in "The Curse of Oak Island" haven't been entirely fruitless. They have uncovered some old coins and gems in the past, in turn emboldening the belief that it's only a matter of time until they reach their goal of finding the big prize. The search could take a while, though, as evidenced by the amount of time former team member David Blakenship put into the mission.

"The Curse of Oak Island" primarily focuses on brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, both of whom have dedicated a substantial portion of their lives to excavating the island. However, their former colleague Dan Blankenship's efforts into uncovering the island's secrets predate their own, which is why they hired him to be part of the team when History gave them a reality series.

According to the History Youtube channel, David began investigating the island in 1972 to help his father, Dan Blankenship, in a quest to unearth its secrets. In addition to being a long-term resident of Oak Island, he had plenty of experience digging through its hidden corners before the Laginas arrived in 2006 (per Sky History).

Blankenship left "The Curse of Oak Island" in 2021 following the death of his father. As Mysteries of Canada notes, it is believed that he had a falling out with the show's creators for failing to honor his dad's efforts. It is unknown if the veteran treasure hunter is still conducting searches on his own accord, but if he has retired, he deserves recognition for dedicating almost five decades of his life to the cause.