In the 1860s, beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) and pearling boats began working the reefs of Torres Strait. The first European to visit Saibai was probably a beche-de-mer operator named John Delargy, who visited the island with his South Sea Islander crew in 1869 while searching for a lost whaleboat. Delargy established friendly relations with the people of Saibai, trading goods and sharing a feast with the Islanders. Pearling bases were never established on Saibai but in the 1870s European pearl and beche-de-mer operators began recruiting men from Saibai to work on their luggers.