The fascination of finding treasure has been in the human sike since the dawn of time. Now with the advent of modern television and hundreds of ways to access entertainment, there are many interesting treasure hunting shows just waiting for you to explore right on your phone, computer, or television set.
So I decided to put together a list of the best must-watch treasure hunting shows that will pique your interest in this most sought-after pastime of treasure-seeking.
Must Watch Treasure Hunting Shows
Discover what’s been found and what is being found in the following shows that I have compiled for your viewing pleasure. Within these episodes, you will find shipwreck treasure, lost treasure, and untold adventures to find what has been lost through the sands of time. Enjoy!
1. Cooper’s Treasure
In 1963 astronaut Gordon Cooper broke the record for the longest space flight. He circled the earth for 122 hours. While on this mission he noticed many anomalies that looked like dark patches in the seas below. Cooper took over 100 photos of these anomalies around the South Caribean.
Mr. Cooper believed these dark patches to be lost sunken shipwrecks from long ago. He held on to these photos for over 40 years until his death he shared his findings that he mapped out with his friend Darrell Miklos.
Miklos took this information and set out to explore those anomalies that Gordon Cooper mapped out. The result of these exploration efforts is the tv show Cooper’s Treasure that originally aired on the Discovery Channel.
As of this writing, Cooper’s Treasure has 2 seasons of 16 episodes under its belt. You can view Cooper’s Treasure by purchasing on Amazon Prime.
Watch Cooper’s Treasure on Amazon Prime
2. Curse of Oak Island
The Curse of Oak Island is a tv series that has run for 9 seasons with 158 episodes as of this writing. The series originally aired on the History Channel in Canada on January 5, 2014, and is still an ongoing treasure hunting reality show.
Follow brothers Rick and Marty Lagina as they use the latest technology to uncover the secrets hidden in the waters and underneath Oak Island. Some areas of interest that are explored on the show are:
- The Money Pit
- Site 2
- The Swamp
- Borehole 10-x
- The Hatch
- Smith’s Cove
- Nolan’s Cross
The Lagina brothers became interested in the island after reading a Readers Digest article from 1965 about the Restall family who were exploring the Money Pit that’s on the island.
Rick and Marty purchased the island from Oak Island Tours. And along with Prometheus Entertainment started the reality show The Curse of Oak Island.
Theories of Oak Island
There are many theories and conjectures about the history of the island and treasures that might be hidden here. One theory suggests that ancient mariners visited the island long ago leaving treasure and relics.
Another theory is about a 90 foot stone that contains instructions about how to defeat the Money Pit flood tunnels with corn. There’s even a theory that revolves around codes hidden in Shakespearean literature and Sir Francis Bacon and the Rosicrucians.
The most famous theory is about the Knights Templar hiding treasure of religious artifacts on the island. And not to mention the theory of treasure by the Aztec Empire that might be buried on the island.
All these theories and more have been and are being discussed in the episodes of the Curse of Oak Island. You can find this tv show on the History Channel or on Demand with Amazon Prime.
Watch The Curse of Oak Island on Amazon Prime
3. Diggers
The TV series The Diggers ran for 4 seasons from 2013-2015 with a total of 66 episodes. It aired on the National Geographic channel.
Follow George “King George” “KG” Wyant and Tim “The Ringmaster” Saylor as they metal detect across the United States for lost treasure and various historical artifacts.
A few key episodes include:
- The location of Steve Job’s time capsule
- They located the McCoy’s cabin that was burned down by the Hatfields
The Diggers series was canceled by The Fox News Channel which acquired the National Geographic channel in 2015. But you can still purchase and watch episodes with an Amazon Prime account.
Tim and George started their own web series on Youtube called Diggin with KG and Ringy.
Watch The Diggers on Amazon Prime
Digging Deeper: Garrett AT Pro Metal Detector Review
4. Treasure Quest: Snake Island
Follow Cork Graham and diver Megan Heaney-Grier as they search for the lost Incan treasure known as The Treasure of Trinity.
Legend has it that in 1524 Conquistador Aleixo Garcia went on an expedition through the jungles of Brazil attacking Incan settlements and plundering their gold. It is said that the Incan King Huayna Capac and his army ended up driving Garcia and his men back but leaving Garcia with a vast fortune of Incan gold.
Garcia’s men the Guarani warriors became greedy and ended up killing Garcia taking his fortune. The Incan gold ends up on the coast where it is said that the villagers hide the treasure on an island called Snake Island.
Treasure Quest: Snake Island consists of 3 seasons and 21 episodes and is still an ongoing series that’s produced by the Discovery Channel. You can watch on-demand shows with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Treasure Quest: Snake Island on Amazon Prime
5. The Curse of Civil War Gold
Marty Lagina star of The Curse of Oak Island team up with Michigan native Kevin Dykstra to search for Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s stolen gold.
The story of this stolen gold came from the deathbed confessions of a local lighthouse keeper back in 1890. In his confession, he said that Union soldiers came upon Jefferson Davis in 1865 and stole his gold.
The soldiers then took the gold north and it ended up at the bottom of Lake Michigan. In the Curse of Civil War Gold Dykstra and his team of researchers go treasure hunting for this stolen loot in lake Michigan.
The Curse of Civil War Gold originally aired on the History channel and consists of 2 seasons of 16 episodes so far. You can purchase this show on-demand through Amazon Prime.
Watch The Curse of Civil War Gold on Amazon Prime
6. American Digger
Follow former professional wrestler Frank Huguelet ( Ric Savage ) and his family as they crisscross America metal detecting and discovering lost treasure. American Diggers originally aired on March 21, 2012, on Spike Tv a Discovery Channel network.
The show ran for 2 seasons and had 22 episodes. The name of the show was changed to Savage Family Diggers after the American Diggers magazine complained of trademark infringement and filed a lawsuit against Viacom.
American Digger or Savage Family Diggers is no longer on the air but you can purchase past seasons and episodes on Demand through an Amazon Prime Account.
Watch American Digger on Amazon Prime
7. Legend of The Superstition Mountains
Watch as Dutch treasure hunter Wayne Tuttle and a team of experts searches for the famous lost Dutchman’s gold mine.
Legend has it that there is a hidden gold mine in the area called Superstition mountains in the Arizona Desert. Many people have died trying to decipher the legend. There’s a new clue that could be the piece of the puzzle that everyone has been missing.
Wayne Tuttle has this clue and is determined to find the hidden gold mine in over 160,000 acres of Arizona desert. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. These mountains are said to be cursed driving men insane.
Will Mr. Tuttle find the 500-year-old lost gold mine? Find out in The Legend of The Superstition Mountains which ran for only 1 season and has 6 episodes. This show originally aired on the History Channel but you can now watch it on-demand with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch The Legend of The Superstition Mountains on Amazon Prime
8. The Safecrackers
The Safecrackers first aired on the truTV network on February 9, 2014. Watch as professional safecracker Phil Crawford, his friend Blaze and their family and friends travel America cracking abandoned safes, huge bank vaults, an armored truck and they even tapped into an abandoned WW2 underground bunker.
The Safecrackers ran for only one season with a total of 6 episodes. You can purchase this exciting program with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch The Safecrackers on Amazon Prime
9. Secrets of The Underground
With the advancements in ground-penetrating technologies like light detection, ranging and 3-D imaging it is now possible to discover hidden treasures in underground tunnels and structures that have been forgotten for years.
Follow leading experts in science, 3-D imaging, and treasure hunting, find anything hidden underground. With the latest technology, the Secrets of the Underground uncover mysteries such as finding lost civilizations, dark matter detectors, caves, and chemical labs.
The Secrets of the Underground originally aired on the Science channel on April 04, 2017, and ran for 2 seasons with a total of 16 episodes. You can purchase past seasons and episodes with an Amazon Prime Account.
Watch Secrets of The Underground on Amazon Prime
10. Forbidden History
Follow host Jamie Theakston as he tackles the untold histories that have been left out of the history books. Discover ancient relics, lost civilizations, and hidden treasures on every episode of Forbidden History part of the Destination Unknown series.
Forbidden History originally aired on the Travel Channel and has run for 7 seasons and 49 episodes so far. You can watch up to season 6 with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Forbidden History on Amazon Prime
11. Devil’s Canyon
In the Devil’s Canyon gold prospectors Ben van der Valk, John Belcik, and Boyce Goff explore the harsh and unpredictable world of British Columbia’s Devils Canyon in search of gold that the high-priced mining companies can’t get at. The gold is located in the largest creekside gold deposit the world has ever seen. Watch as these three men pan their way to riches.
They encounter extreme conditions and dangerous situations as they separately struggle to find the elusive gold and simply stay alive. There are no camera crews as they personally document their every move.
Devil’s Canyon originally aired on the Discovery Channel on June 6, 2017, with only 1 season so far. You can purchase season 1 with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Devils Canyon on Amazon Prime
12. Lost Gold of WW2
Follow the allure of hidden treasure as a team of American treasure hunters try to decipher a code said to be left by a secret society.
It is said that gold, jewels, and ancient artifacts that were looted from many nations were buried in the jungles of the Philippines by the Japanese General Yamashita’s troops when they were being closed in on by allied forces in 1945.
An eyewitness came forward claiming that he saw boxes being put in tunnels by the Japanese troops in 1945. These treasure hunters follow this lead to try and uncover the hidden Japanese treasure.
Lost Gold of WW2 has had two seasons with 16 episodes so far and originally aired on the History Channel. You can purchase season 1 and 2 with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Lost Gold of WW2 on Amazon Prime
13. Bering Sea Gold
Bering Sea Gold is an extremely popular reality show that has run for 14 seasons and 160 episodes on the Discovery Channel. There are two seasons each year.
- Summer Dredging Season entitled Bering Sea Gold
- Spring Dredging Season entitled Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice
The first one airs in the spring and the second one airs in the fall.
The show follows boat crews as they dredge for gold in the cold waters of the Bering Sea. These boats are equipped with a dredge to collect the “paydirt”, sluicing apparatus, and cold water diving life support system.
Watch as the teams undergo many dangerous conflicts to find the gold at the bottom of the Bering sea. You can purchase seasons and episodes of the Bering Sea Gold with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Bering Sea Gold on Amazon Prime
14. Lost Gold
Follow brothers Josh and Jesse Feldman travel the American Frontier in the search of lost treasure from the old west days. History is being dug up as these two brothers search through old maps, diaries, and official records from local natives that know the areas well.
Lost Gold originally aired on the Travel Channel for one season in 2017. You can purchase past shows with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Lost Gold on Amazon Prime
15. Gold Rush Alaska
Gold Rush Alaska was the name of the first season of what’s now called simply entitled Gold Rush. Follow various placer gold mining families as they run their gold mining operations in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, South America, and Western North America.
Gold Rush has been running on the Discovery Channel for 12 seasons strong with over 275 episodes so you know this is one popular program. You can purchase past episodes with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Gold Rush Alaska on Amazon Prime
16. Billion Dollar Wreck
Watch as Martin Bayerle attempts to salvage a billion-dollar treasure from the wreck of the RMS Republic which lies 250 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Nantucket.
The RMS Republic which was the flagship of White Starline of their Boston service went down in a collision in 1909. It was known as the “Millionaires Ship” because of the many wealthy people who sailed on her.
This ocean liner was lost along with billions in American’s belonging and treasure. The recovery of this treasure is what the Billion Dollar Wreck is all about.
The Billion Dollar Wreck ran on the History Channel for one season with 9 episodes. You can purchase season one with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Billion Dollar Wreck on Amazon Prime
17. Caribbean Pirate Treasure
You will enjoy the scenic views as married couple Phillippe and Ashlan Cousteau travel the Caribbean by boat searching for lost treasure and pirates loot.
In every episode, this married team of explorers finds a new mystery to solve as they talk to locals about the truth of what really happened in history.
The Caribbean Pirate Treasure has aired for three seasons on the Travel Channel with 22 episodes. You can purchase all three seasons with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Caribbean Pirate Treasure on Amazon Prime
18. Diamond Divers
Join sailors and diamond divers from the state of Washington, and travel to South Africa in the allure of treasure that is hidden underneath the waves.
Diamond Divers ran for only one season in 2012 on the Paramount Network. You can purchase season one with an Amazon Prime Account.
Watch Diamond Divers on Amazon Prime
19. Expedition Unknown
Josh Gates stars in this exciting show from the Travel Channel. Follow Josh as he explores the world in search of solving mysteries and finding treasure. Josh interviews key people and uncovers recent breaks in the story.
He then goes out full steam ahead to try and solve the mysteries that history has left unsolved.
Expedition Unknown originally aired on the Travel Channel and has run for 10 seasons with season 10 airing now as of this writing. There is also a spinoff series entitled Expedition X that launched in February of 2020 with 33 episodes across 5 seasons. You can purchase seasons of Expedition Unknown with an Amazon Prime account.
Watch Expedition Unknown on Amazon Prime
Conclusion
So there you have it 19 must-watch treasure hunting shows that you can purchase with an Amazon Prime account. These shows should fill your need for treasure hunting and adventure. I wish I had these shows when I was growing up. The only thing I had to watch that came close to any of these shows was Jaques Cousteau on television.
Now we have all the adventures we can handle at the click of a button. I feel fortunate to be able to watch these exciting shows in the comfort of my living room. If you are interested in movies about treasure hunting then you might want to check our list of the 25 Best Treasure Hunting Movies.
Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting!
I absolutely love the show Expedition Unknown. In my opinion, Josh Gates is the best host on any TV show.
I’ve been a treasure hunter most of my life. In 1981 I unearthed two silver half dollars from the same whole from the 30″s and 50’s on the baseball field at SF State University. What made this discovery extra cool was that my niece just graduated from there just 3 years ago.
Cory, I have a request of you, please…Can you please check out these 3 books on Audible.com…”Lost mines and buried treasure of Missouri (the same title is of “Oklahoma” and “Arkansas” )
It would be awesome if someone could create a To V Show based on these approx 60 lost treasures.
In the Bay area 1980-83 I found over 300 silver coins.
Thanks
Hi Wesley,
I agree Josh Gates is an excellent host and his shows are top-notch! The finds you have made over the years are amazing. I will check out those audible books they sound very interesting. I would be interested to learn how you were afforded the opportunity to metal detect at the SF State University. I imagine it was easier to get access to places like that back in the early ’80s.
I will shoot you an email so we can further discuss the finds that you have made. I would be interested to see any pictures you might have of these finds and the history behind them. Thanks for your intriguing comment and look forward to hearing more about your discovery’s!