Quicksand Fans

I normally loath "reality" television but having read several books on the Oak Island "Money Pit" in the past this one has my attention. 200 years, tens of millions of dollars and six bodies later still nobody's been able to get to the bottom of this.....naturally occurring sinkhole? Or Edward Teach's billion dollar gold hoard?
http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island

Now that might be worth watching. Always wanted to try to figure a way to get to the bottom of that pit. From what I've read, there was some pretty advanced engineering used to make sure nobody did get to the bottom of it- it was designed to flood if dug up improperly, which it was.

I would work around the water instead of trying to fight against it. Set up a gantry crane over the hole, drop in a dredge bucket to scoop the muck out, and when/if you find something interesting send in the robot. The weight of the water in the hole would also help shore up the sides.