Dazzling underwater world, secluded beaches and fantastic fly fishing. You will be amazed at this coast of Seychelles

The crab tightened its shell like a ballerina’s tutu, raised six arms in an arc, stood on tiptoes, and beat the polished concrete floor in cross-stitching motions.

It was as perfect a movement as I have ever seen in a crustacean. I rub my eyes in disbelief. And with one last pirouette it was gone.

But it was Alphonse – a small, magical island in the Outer Seychelles. In an archipelago of 115 islands that lie like diamond dust in the waters of sapphire, turquoise and jade in the Indian Ocean, distance brings out more and more flawless gems.

And in the Alphonse group – which includes the uninhabited islands of Saint François and Bijoutier, 400 km southeast of Mahe – Mother Nature is naturally exuberant.

I took a sip of my espresso and followed the crab a few steps through a row of palm trees to the beach.

It was morning, my favorite time of day, when silence is absolute and the only chatter is that of a beloved pair of Daz-white fairy stars circling the purple sky together.

The water was as smooth as a mirror, disturbed only by the bobbing heads of the green and hawksbill turtles that nest here. A gray heron stood motionless like a statue on the bank, staring at the sunrise.

Timid eddies and curlews hopped like pterodactyls across the powdery sand, chasing busy red-legged boobies to not yet fully wake up their fish, which were resting in the casuarina trees. It was like paradise before the fall.

Alphonse has just 29 rooms — rustic bungalows, with the more recent addition of five contemporary Beach Suites and two four-bedroom Beach Villas — all with direct access to the lagoon, where much of the action takes place.

The Alphonse Group is 400 km southeast of Mahé. On the photo is the view from a hill in Mahé

Alphonse, chartered from Blue Safari Seychelles (BSS), is one of the world’s premier saltwater fly fishing destinations, where bonefish, milkfish, triggerfish, permit and (the Holy Grail) make up the coveted Big Five.

For those who enjoy Hemingway’s passion, deep sea fishing is also available – although I discovered that trawling these pristine waters is nothing compared to the skills required for fly fishing, like fishing in an aquarium : two by two that Fish keep coming to the bait than if they are hiding in the ark.

One day, among my catch was a snout barracuda – surely the smelliest fish that secretes a milky urine to show its displeasure. We threw it back: Fishing in these sheltered waters is – with the exception of the kitchen requirements – strictly catch and release.

This healthy biodiversity is largely due to BSS’s commitment to conservation and sustainability. “We only get involved when we feel we can make a positive contribution,” says managing director Keith Rose-Innes – and these are not just empty words.

Since its inception in 2012, the Alphonse Foundation has raised more than $1 million for wildlife conservation. Projects (in partnership with Islands Development Company, a local NGO based in Alphonse) include research on turtles and manta rays, protecting nesting sites of endangered birds, monitoring illegal fishing and removing wreckage washed up on the coast of the Archipelago – an unspectacular activity attended by wealthy guests.

I developed a fondness for my brakeless bike and became adept at dodging obstacles in the form of free-ranging Aldabra giant tortoises.

The writer Teresa enjoys the beach life on Alphonse. “The always cozy atmosphere at Alphonse is the epitome of barefoot chic,” she explains

Sandy paths traverse the island’s 174 hectares, through sun-kissed coconut palms planted in the 19th century.

The old copra hut has since been reclaimed by the jungle, eerily like a remote Angkor temple, while an overgrown cemetery commemorates the early French owners who tilled the land.

However, coconuts still have their uses – they are offered as refreshing drinks or cooked in oil by the chef for use in the new spa – a cool circular space with the feel of a jungle.

After a day on the boat, a fresh aloe vera wrap is a welcome treatment for that inevitable sunburn. Most days were a boat ride.

Accompanied by dozens of spinner dolphins, I rode the waves and jumped in to swim with manta rays, which glided through the blue like stealth bombers, fins curled into horns.

Green turtles and hawksbill turtles nest on Alphonse, Teresa reveals. Above, a hawksbill turtle swims through the waters of the Seychelles

Coral reefs, those “rainforests of the sea,” yielded bountiful rewards to divers and snorkelers, swarming with calm, curious fish that approached my mask, silent sweet nothings in their mouths.

I enjoyed their names as much as their psychedelic color scheme: Convict Tangs, Giant Sweetlips, Tarentaal Boxfish, Lemon Sharks, and—new to me—Indian Triggerfish encased in jet black and pearl white for all the world to see as if dressed by Chanel .

The weekly ‘flats lunch’ is much anticipated: a barbeque on a sandbar on Saint Francois Atoll that gradually fades as lunch ends and the tide comes in. Water, water everywhere and coconut rum to drink.

The sign of the last sip is when the sea reaches knee-high with Consomme-Warm and only a strip of sand remains: time to go home over an ocean aquamarine.

The days fly by, marked by delicious meals. Dinners are particularly memorable, with tables set on the beach and illuminated by the moonlight. The freshest fish – tuna, wahoo, jobfish and grouper – appear in alternating sashimi, broiled and grilled forms, along with delicacies such as hearts of palm and produce from the island’s organic farm. The always cozy atmosphere at Alphonse is the epitome of barefoot chic.