Marine archaeologist weighs in on rescue efforts of Titanic submersible

GALLOWAY TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Time is running out for crews desperately trying to rescue the five people onboard the deep sea vessel that went missing while exploring the Titanic wreckage.

New rescue units from around the world, with new tools and new vessels, are frantically joining the search.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said it is focusing its search in an area where rescue planes detected noises, similar to the sound of banging.

A marine archaeologist at Stockton University says sound travels pretty well underwater.

SEE ALSO: Banging, noises heard from search area for lost Titanic tour submersible, Coast Guard says

The lost submersible could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the watery tomb of the Titanic.

Those noises could lead crews to the sub, but the clock is ticking, with the oxygen set to run out by Thursday morning.

"It's sad. It's challenging," says Steve Nagiewicz, an adjunct professor of marine science at Stockton University.

"The outcome isn't likely to be very good. Because it's in over 12,000 feet of water, it will be a complicated operation to get it to the surface. The people who are in the sub are sealed in. They can't get out until it reaches the surface, they're bolted in. This is a serious problem."

Nagiewicz has a friend on the rescue mission who has explored this Titanic wreckage before.

Two members of his Explorers Club are also among the five passengers on board.

"People ask me, 'Is it worth it?'" he says. "You know, exploration is a difficult thing. People still want to climb mountains. We still want to explore the ocean. We still want to see what's on the other side of the wall, because we're humans and we're curious."

He says, in many ways, the story is "just as compelling" as when the Titanic sank.

"It was one of those things that wasn't supposed to happen, and it did," he says.

Along with dwindling oxygen, Nagiewicz says the five people on board would likely face hypothermia.

They've been submerged since Sunday.

SEE ALSO: Missing Titanic submersible: CEO of company leading expedition, billionaire adventurer on board

The people on board included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who, according to the company, was serving as a member of the crew.