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Uncertainty, panic and the need to conserve oxygen are all part of what five travelers aboard the missing Titanic submarine will likely have to do as they await rescue, a former naval psychologist told Fox News.
“Certainly there’s pure panic where their heart is racing and they’re having trouble breathing…or they feel like they’re going crazy,” says licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Justin D’Arienzo. “And certainly in a tight space that’s dark, like this situation, that can be exponentially worse.”
FORMER NAVY PSYCHOLOGIST DETAILS MENTAL HORROR FOR TITANIC SUB CREW. WATCH:
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The ongoing search for the missing submarine used to take tourists to the Titanic’s wreckage has covered an area “bigger than the state of Connecticut” but has found no sign of the ship, said U.S. Coast captain Jamie Fredrick Guard First District Coordinator, at a press conference on Tuesday. The five-person submarine was reported late Sunday night, 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“I think they probably go in and out of phases of panic, to gallows humor, to fear, to really feel connected to the other passengers that are with them. There are just a lot of significant mood swings,” D’Arienzo said.
“Psychologically, dealing with uncertainty is the killer for people in terms of calmness,” added D’Arienzo. “It’s really important to surrender to that lack of uncertainty and just focus on what you have control over.”
Tourists can charter the small vessel for visits to the Titanic wreckage through OceanGate Expeditions, which recently announced new mission crews for a North Atlantic voyage on social media. (Getty Images)
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“What those people on that submarine master is to keep calm and get to know each other,” he continued. “But also try not to talk too much so they don’t consume oxygen.”
The submarine tour, led by OceanGate Expeditions, is said to have enough life support to keep five people alive for 96 hours, according to the advertisements the OceanGate website. The Coast Guard said at Tuesday’s press conference that there are approximately 41 hours of breathing air left on board the Titan.
“The submarine captain is probably trying to keep everyone calm,” D’Arienzo told Fox News. “Because your muscles are activated when you’re in a panic, and then you use more oxygen.”
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D’Arienzo said managing a crisis on a civilian submarine is very different than on a Navy submarine where sailors are prepared for anything.
“Here on a civilian tour … they’re not submarines. They’re not all trained,” D’Arienzo said.
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One of Pakistan’s richest men, Shahzada Dawood, his son, Sulaiman Dawood, and Britain’s Hamish Harding are among the confirmed passengers aboard the Titan. And just before the press conference, an OceanGate spokesperson told Fox News that the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, is one of five people now missing.
“It is very difficult for the family waiting for news,” D’Arienzo said. “I hope we will be happy with the rescue of the submarine.”
The Coast Guard said passengers aboard the missing Titanic submarine have about 40 hours left to breathe as of Tuesday afternoon. (Francis Dean/Corbis via Getty Images)
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The families should “stick together and focus on what’s under your control while you wait for the news and, of course, trust the professionals,” he said. “These people are heroes. They find a needle in a haystack. You have to trust that good news will come.”
Click here to watch D’Arienzo’s full interview.
Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Megan Myers is an associate producer/writer at Fox News Digital Originals.
