Dave Blankenship Suffers Serious Injury and Leaves Curse of Oak Island — Will He Ever Return to the Treasure Hunt?
What Really Happened to The Curse of Oak Island’s Dave Blankenship?
Inside His Departure, Life-Altering Injury, and Where He Is Today
As the latest season of The Curse of Oak Island launches, viewers once again follow Rick and Marty Lagina in their relentless hunt for answers buried beneath Nova Scotia’s most mysterious island. But amid the excitement, one familiar face remains absent: longtime treasure hunter Dave Blankenship. Once a core member of the series — and a key link to the island’s modern history — Dave’s disappearance continues to raise questions among fans.
Dave and his father, Dan Blankenship, were central to Oak Island long before television cameras arrived. Dan devoted half a century to excavating the island, pouring his life, energy, and fortune into solving the centuries-old mystery surrounding the Money Pit. When History Channel launched the series, the father-son pair became iconic contributors to the investigation. But after Dan’s death in 2019 and the conclusion of Season 6, Dave stepped away from the show himself.
Here’s everything we know about why he left, the serious injury that changed his life forever, and what he’s doing today.
Why Did Dave Blankenship Leave the Show?
Dave’s departure has never been formally explained on-air, and The Curse of Oak Island did not offer an official statement. However, Dave addressed the issue directly in a lengthy interview with The Oak Island Compendium, offering rare insight into his frustration and eventual exit.
According to Dave, he believed the series had minimized or overlooked his father’s decades of work when the storytelling shifted to follow the Lagina brothers’ efforts more closely. He recalled the moment he realised he could no longer remain involved:
“When the TV crew went from the Restall family to the Laginas and left my dad’s 50 years out, I quit. They wanted me to retire instead, and we did a Drilling Down as my last show.”
The omission, for Dave, felt like a personal slight to the man who had shaped Oak Island exploration for generations. Without Dan Blankenship’s unwavering commitment, he argued, many investigators — including his longtime partner David Tobias — would have abandoned the search decades earlier.
Further fueling speculation was a screenshot circulating online that appeared to show Dave explaining his grievance in a Facebook comment. In the alleged post, he wrote:
“I quit the show when they left 50 years out of my dad and went Restall to Laginas. That night I quit and they will not say anything about me.”
While the authenticity of the screenshot has never been verified, it echoed the same sentiment Dave shared publicly: he felt the show had neglected the enormous contribution his father had made to Oak Island’s history.
Dave also noted in the 2023 interview that he had not spoken to the Laginas for two years. Despite this, he did not express bitterness toward the brothers themselves — only disappointment in how the show handled his father’s legacy.
The Injury That Changed Dave’s Life
Long before becoming a television personality, Dave endured a catastrophic workplace accident that left him with lasting disabilities. His story was discussed briefly on the show and has been detailed by Mysteries of Canada.
In 1986, Dave was working on a jobsite where a massive five-ton air compressor was being unloaded from a tractor-trailer using a crane. Without warning, part of the crane structure broke. The heavy cable snapped and whipped into the back of Dave’s legs, launching him violently into the crane’s cab.
The force threw him through the windshield. In the chaos, the chin strap of his construction helmet tightened around his neck, cutting off blood flow to his carotid artery and triggering a stroke.
Dave slipped into a coma. Doctors warned his parents that he would likely never walk, talk, or possibly even regain consciousness. But Dave stunned medical staff with a recovery few believed possible.
He later recalled:
“They told my mom and dad I was going to be a vegetable and never get out of bed. They forgot to tell me!”
The stroke and trauma caused long-term nerve damage. Dave eventually regained most of his mobility and speech, but the left side of his body remains numb to this day. Despite this, he continued to work, climb, lift, and contribute to Oak Island operations well into his sixties — a testament to his determination and resilience.
Where Is Dave Blankenship Now?
Since leaving The Curse of Oak Island, Dave has stepped out of the public spotlight. He does not maintain official social media accounts, and updates about his life are rare. However, in his interview with The Oak Island Compendium, he did share a glimpse of his plans.
Dave continues to live on Oak Island, in the home he has occupied for years. He says he and his wife, Garnette, have no immediate plans to leave the island that has defined so much of his life:
“[My house] is paid for, I see no reason to sell it.”
He added that he might eventually purchase another property on the Nova Scotia mainland but intends to keep his island home — and may even rent it out during the busy summer season.
Though he is no longer part of the televised treasure hunt, Dave remains tied to the island and the legacy forged by his father. His connection to Oak Island runs far deeper than the series ever could.
A Quiet Legacy Beyond the Spotlight
Dave Blankenship may not appear on The Curse of Oak Island anymore, but his contributions — and his father’s — remain woven into the island’s modern story. For many longtime viewers, Dave’s absence is still felt, yet his decision to step back reflects a deeply personal belief: that the sacrifices and half-century of labour his father devoted to Oak Island deserved recognition.
While the show presses forward with new discoveries, Dave continues his life on the island, carrying on the Blankenship legacy in his own quiet way.
