There are many things missing from this island in the Lakshadweep. People, for one. But to compensate, you'll get swaying palms, crystal waters and some of the best diving in the world.

The Lakshadweep or Laccadives, as they were formerly called, are a string of little-known islands, lying 250 or so miles off the Malabar coast of India.

There are 36 main islands in all, forming an archipelago of surpassing beauty. This is a world of silver sands and clear warm waters, of submerged banks and virgin reefs, enclosing a fascinating underwater world.

Legend has it that the islands were discovered by shipwrecked sailors during the reign of Cheraman Perumal, a legendary King of Kerala, around 435 AD. Frankly, things haven't really changed much since. Nature and culture have both remained preserved over the centuries, miles from the mainland and the trade routes.

And so the crabs scuttle. The reefs remain pristine.The people continue to fish, grow coconuts and smile a lot. And that's in the handful of islands that have any population at all. The vast majority still remain much as they were the day nature conjured them up.