The Swamp as seen from Google Earth
According to the imagery date from 9/18/2013, besides 2 small pockets, the swamp had been drained. You can see some kind of white markings in the mud. I thought the swamp was never fully drained?
shareI haven't looked at the imagery, but I'd guess the white markings are either snow or ice, as winter hits early and hard in Nova Scotia. They stop the show and (most) leave the island when fall hits. (9/18 image)
There is a portion in the back of the swamp which has not been completely drained. The area where Jack was tugging the boat with Marty and Rick in last week's episode HAS been drained.
After the episode from where they were digging in the swamp with the back hoe, it appears the white markings are the planks used to walk around on the swamp. But the image is from 2013. But from the overhead shot on the show the planks look to be almost in the exact same spot as in the image. So either this season was filmed in 2013 or they always lay the planks down in the same pattern.
Which portion hasn't been fully drained? In the google earth image the entire swamp is drained except for a 100x35ft pool at the top of the triangle. In the previous attempt to drain the swamp there was still a decent amount of water left. So I'm confused.
You are in the correct location. According to what has been said on the show, the "top of the triangle", i.e., the northern tip of the swamp, has never been fully drained.
shareI'm convinced this stuff is filmed in advance to some degree due to the fact that certain stuff takes longer to accomplish due to permits and such so they need multiple things going on and to air to fill the time for the show.
That said they may have simply laid the planks down in the same general pattern based on the old satellite image or used an old shot for the show. One reason I could see copying the pattern is quite simple, they did some preliminary metal detecting in the area so perhaps they copied or mapped off the sections so they could search spots where they had the hits.
I don't see any any obvious drilling equipment in the satellite photo.