Who has the diary in 'Outer Banks' season 3?

An old journal is key to finding the hidden treasure, but who has the diary in 'Outer Banks' third season?

Who has the diary in Outer Banks? Pictured: Chase Stokes as John B, Charles Halford as Big John in episode 306 of Outer Banks
(Image credit: Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix)

The answer to "who has the diary in Outer Banks?" is directly connected to "who is getting all that gold?" Because whoever is in possession of the journal of one Denmark Tanny will have a serious leg up when it comes to tracking down the exact location of that legendary, 500-year-old treasure haul. 

Tanny's diary plays a big role in Outer Banks season 3—which premiered  on Netflix on Thursday, February 23—so much so that the fourth episode of the new season is titled simply "The Diary." 

But who ends up finding the original diary: our Pogues crew (played by Chase StokesMadelyn ClineMadison BaileyRudy Pankow and Jonathan Daviss) or one of their enemies, like gold-hungry Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) or new villain Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen)? Here's what goes down with Denmark's diary. 

*Warning: spoilers ahead!*

Who has the diary in 'Outer Banks' season 3?

The search for the original diary of Denmark Tanny—a former slave and distant ancestor of Pope who was the sole survivor of the Royal Merchant shipwreck and the only person who knew the whereabouts of its long-lost treasure—has been a three-season quest for the Outer Banks characters, as the book holds clues to the exact location of the mystical city of El Dorado. 

The hunt heats up in season 3 when Carlos Singh, a Caribbean Don, captures Rafe and Kiara in Barbados because he believes that they know the location of Denmark's diary and gives them a day to give up the diary or die. Kie eventually tells Singh that while she doesn't know where the original diary is, she knows where to find a copy.

However, that copy was left in The Twinkie, John B's old VW van, and was destroyed by rain that poured through the vehicle's open windows. Big John and John B then head to the home of Mr. Sunn, the latter's high school history teacher, who at one point possessed the original diary. While there, though, they're ambushed by Singh's men, who steal the precious original and take off by boat.

The Routledge men chase the smugglers and Big John ends up killing the two men, much to John B's horror. However, Big John's actions allow them to take possession of Denmark's priceless diary, and they work together throughout the rest of the third season to unpack the book's many clues and track down missing artifacts that eventually point them in the direction of El Dorado. 

Singh complicates things again, however, when he takes Big John captive on a boat down to Venezuela, but Sarah enlists her family's private plane to fly the gang to South America to save him. With Singh's men in hot pursuit, the trio manages to read all the clues and solve all the riddles connected to the diary and finally locate El Dorado, a cave brimming with gold. 

They take off with their share of the treasure, but not before Big John is shot by Singh while defending his son. Before he dies, he manages to throw dynamite at the entrance of the cave, which explodes, killing Singh and camouflaging the path toward the treasure. The Pogues bury Big John in the jungle before returning home with their much-earned bounty. 

All three seasons of Outer Banks are now available to stream on Netflix.

Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. 


More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York


When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.