Cryptic crossword clue
Islanders about to sunbathe in empty coves 7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CRETANS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
R
E
T
A
N
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Islanders" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case islanders = cretans.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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