About Anchor-Man
G'day. I'm Michael Atwell, and Anchor-Man started the way most good things in my life have — on the water.
I've been around boats and fishing my whole life. Spearfishing was the first thing that really got me — diving down, holding your breath, the quiet of it. I did it as often as i could as a young man, then life got in the way for about twenty years. Career, kids, the usual. Then a few years back I picked up the gun again, and it was like coming home.
The difference this time is I get to share it with my son. William's about to turn 22, and he's been fishing with me since before he could properly hold a rod. Now he's a better spearo than I am on most days, and we dive, fish, and get out on the water together as often as we can manage it. There's not many things in life better than surfacing next to your kid with a decent fish on the spear.
I also play underwater hockey, which most people have never heard of. Picture ice hockey, but at the bottom of a swimming pool, holding your breath. It's the best cross-training a free diver could ask for, and the people you meet doing it are some of the most interesting humans on the planet.
Why Anchor-Man exists
Here's the honest version: I build businesses around the things I love, because then it doesn't feel like work. I figured out a long time ago that if I had to choose between a "proper" career and spending my days near the ocean, the ocean was going to win every time. So I stopped fighting it.
Anchor-Man came out of that. Every product we sell is something I'd actually use — or something I wished existed when I was struggling with gear that wasn't quite right. Anchors that hold properly. Kits that come with everything you need instead of half of it. Motor flushers that don't fall apart after one season. Gear that lets you focus on the fish, not the equipment.
Every dollar this business makes goes back into the marine industry. That's not marketing — it's just how I'm built. I'd rather have a better boat, a better dive setup, or a new product idea on the bench than a fancier car.
The other things I do on the water
If you're the kind of person who reads "About" pages, you might be interested to know Anchor-Man isn't the only thing I'm working on:
- Orca Charters https://www.orcacharters.com.au — my certified commercial charter vessel, operating on Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia. If you're ever down our way, come for a fish.
- Orca Boats — https://orcaboats.com.au boat sales and boat importing consultancy, serving clients worldwide.
- Fish Kill Bags — https://www.fishkillbags.com insulated kill bags for serious anglers. Built because the ones I was buying weren't keeping fish properly.
They're all connected by the same thing: I'm out on the water, I notice what's broken or what's missing, and I try to fix it.
What you can expect from us
Quality I'd stake my own gear on. Honest answers when you email or call. Products that match what we say they do. If something's not right, tell me — info@anchor-man.com comes straight to my team and I read the hard ones myself.
Tight lines, deep dives, and good days on the water.
Michael Atwell Founder, Anchor-Man
