Our Story
Two families. Different backgrounds. A shared love of the outdoors.
Bluewater Exmouth is the adventure of two families. Thys and Danii, and James and Jodi who packed up, headed north and made Exmouth home. With Ningaloo Reef on our doorstep and plenty of reasons to spend our days off outside, it wasn’t a hard place to fall for.
We’ve all taken different paths to get here. Between us, we’ve had careers in project management, finance, photography, and spent years managing fishing and camping retail. It’s a fairly mixed collection of skills, but running a family business calls for a bit of everything and there’s usually someone who knows their way around whatever the day throws at us.
For Thys and James, fishing has been a big part of life for decades. Their product knowledge comes from years spent both using the gear and helping others choose it. From matching rods and reels to talking through tackle, rigs and techniques, they’re happy to get into the details or keep it simple if you’re just getting started. Ask them about fishing and you’ll quickly see where their enthusiasm lies. Getting them to stop talking about it might take a little longer.
Together, we bring decades of firsthand fishing experience, industry retail knowledge and a shared appreciation for gear that earns its place on a trip. We want to know what you’re planning, what you already use and what you need help with, so you leave with something that makes sense for you.
Most of all, we’re here to build a life as well as a business—raise our families, support other independent businesses and get involved in the town we now call home.
Pop in, meet the crew. We’re always up for talking fishing, hearing about your travels or helping you get the next adventure underway.
History- A Part of Exmouth Since the Beginning
The story of our store stretches back almost as far as the town of Exmouth itself.
In 1963, Santo “Sam” Madaffari was working on the construction of the Naval Base when he heard plans were underway to establish a new support town — what would soon become Exmouth.
Together with his wife Rosa and brother-in-law, Sam attended a land auction in Perth and purchased a block within the proposed shopping centre. The first shop on the site was subsequently built and opened as the town’s General Store.
As Exmouth grew and changed over the decades, so did the little General Store. It evolved alongside the community and later turned into the local hardware store before eventually becoming Exmouth Tackle & Camping Supplies — a business known by generations of locals and visitors.
In 2007, Sam and Rosa’s granddaughter Louise and her husband, Steve, purchased the business from her parents, continuing a family legacy that had begun more than four decades earlier. Their children grew up in the shop, just as the generations before them had, and the business remained firmly centred around family, friendly advice and good old-fashioned customer service.
A New Chapter
In 2026, another chapter began when the business changed hands and became Bluewater Exmouth.
While the name and faces may have changed, we’re proud to recognise the history behind the store and the families who built it before us.
Today, we’re continuing its place in the Exmouth community as an independent, family-run fishing, camping and outdoor store helping locals and visitors alike get out and enjoy everything that makes this part of the world so special, the story continues...
