As the centre of activity drifted away from Nickol Bay and its port of Cossack, and from other centres such as Condon, Bannangarra, where the drying beds were once prolific, the industry came to centre on Roebuck Bay, where modern day Broome is situated. There 'diving apparatus' (standard dress or 'hard hat') was used and E.W. Streeter by his own account became acknowledged as its first successful operator. In 1884 nine vessels had the diving gear. By the end of the 1885-6 season 34 of the 54 vessels operating on the pearling grounds were using 'standard dress' and in the 1887-8 season of the 120 vessels, only two used the 'naked diving' or method. With the exception of Shark Bay, where diving had long since ceased to be a feature, and where in 1886 the Chinese also proved very efficient, the advent of apparatus diving produced a change in the recruitment of ‘Malays’. It became biased specifically towards those more capable of handling the technology, with Manilamen preferred over those less capable of handling the gear. Aboriginal divers also ‘disappeared from the industry almost overnight’. Soon the Japanese divers came to dominate the industry. By 1910, nearly 400 pearling luggers and more than 3500 people were fishing for shell in waters around Broome, making it the world's largest pearling centre. The majority of the workers were Japanese and Malaysian, but also included were Chinese, Filipino, Amborese, Koepanger (Timorese) and Makassan, as well as Indigenous Australians and people from Europe.