Pod of dolphins lifts the spirits of submariners tackling Atlantic row

A rowing team made up of Royal Navy submariners more than 2,000 nautical miles away from their Antigua finish line welcomed a visit by dolphins on their Atlantic challenge.

The crew of HMS Oardacious captured the "spirit-lifting" footage of a pod of dolphins, as they continue to battle the waters on the 'world's toughest row'.

They are among the military personnel and veterans that set off on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge on 12 December.

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This year's record number of entrants are just over a week into the 3,000 miles of rowing.

The pod of dolphins would have "sent the teams' spirits soaring" according to HMS Oardacious' Twitter, which has been providing updates on their journey.

The post on Twitter said: "DOLPHINS! In a world where their waking moments are spent watching the slowly moving clouds and the undulations of the sea, a visit from a pod of dolphins is something that will have sent the teams' spirits soaring!"

There are more teams than ever before taking part this year: 43 crews, 127 rowers from 17 countries, with a huge proportion of them from the military.

They are battling sleep deprivation, hallucinations and hunger, all with the same objective – to take on the unique experience of crossing an ocean in a rowing boat.

Their latest distance update reports that the HMS Oardacious crew have rowed 564 nautical miles, leaving 2,102 nautical miles until they reach the finish line in Antigua in the Caribbean.

They are currently in eighth place, ahead of the Army team of the Atlantic Guardsmen, who are currently serving members of the Scots Guards, both officers and soldiers.