By Georgia Diebelius For Mailonline

Published: 03:49 EDT, 8 November 2015 | Updated: 04:00 EDT, 8 November 2015

A series of microscopic images have revealed the incredible details of sand and marine fragments from five Indian Ocean destinations.

Macro photographer Harold Taylor created 21 jaw-dropping photos showing what sand from seven different beaches in the Indian Ocean looks like under a microscope.

MailOnline Travel is providing the first look at the shapes, colour depth and textures of the sand, which are usually concealed from the naked eye.

Despite their tiny size, the Sri Lanka beach grains show evidence of a rich offshore reef environment including caramel coloured shell fragments and spiral-shaped forams

This sand from Trou aux Biches in Mauritius exemplifies the rich biodiversity on the reefs. It includes brown and purple urchin spines and coil-shaped forams.

These fragments are mostly comprised of reef organisms with fragments of sea urchin spines, shell fragments and a rosy pink grain of coralline algae

La Réunion's coastal landscape varies from white sand to rocky black cliffs (pictured: grains from Saint Paul)

The photos, which reveal a layer of hidden beauty, compare breathtaking sand samples taken from beaches in the magical resorts of the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and La Réunion.

Travel company Kuoni initiated the project to refresh people's perspective of the Indian Ocean destinations. 

The new microscopic sand photos aim to prove that when explored, the smaller details of the sand can reveal the unique character and personality of each island.

Sheena Paton, product manager for the Indian Ocean at Kuoni, says: 'At Kuoni we understand that small details make a big difference.

'It's amazing to see this quite literally illustrated with the sand images.'

The sand grains from Anse Lazio on Praslin Island in the Seychelles originated both on land and on the reef. The grains from the sea include a sclerite (right), a spine from a sea fan or other soft coral

This beautiful lavender coloured fragment (left) is likely coralline algae, a stony kind of seaweed; at right is an urchin spine

Grains from Saint Lev show colourful coral and marine life fragments (left); this beautiful perforated round disk (right) is a foram, Marginopora, a tiny marine organism related to amoeba

She added: 'The biodiversity of the Maldives' sand grains hint at the fantastic reef diving and snorkelling opportunities to try there, whereas the variety of grains from the Mauritius sample reflects the island's more varied coastline, which has lagoons, wetlands and mangroves for you to explore as well as the sandy paradise beaches.'

Taylor said: 'First I sort through a sample using a stereo microscope and a very thin paint brush - the most time consuming part of the process.

'I use specialised Canon macro lenses (MPE-65) to reveal the rich mixture of colours but photographing at such high magnifications can be very challenging due to a very shallow focus and vibration problems'.

Grains from Club Bentota in Sri Lanka show evidence of a rich offshore reef environment including caramel coloured shell fragments and spiral-shaped forams

Mauritius: The rosy pink fragment is from the encrusting foram, Homotrema rubrum, which forms irregular, bright-red skeletal masses on coral and shells.

Kate Clover, sand expert and co-author of new book, Secrets of Sand, said: 'When viewed under the microscope, sands reveal their local geology and marine ecology. 

'For example, in the sample from Saint Lev in La Réunion, the sand is mostly comprised of reef organisms.

'There are purple sea urchin spines, a cream coloured foram, a pink and white striped shell fragment, and a rosy pink grain of coralline algae.' 

Samples from West Beach on Bandos Island in the Maldives include six tiny snail shells and elongated rod fragments of sea urchin spines

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