Abstract: An anchor shock absorber for use with a marine vessel anchoring system. The anchor shock absorber is purposed to relieve the strain on a rope or a cable which joins an anchoring device to the marine vessel. The anchor shock absorber includes an casing, a spring assembly interposed within the casing, and a buoyant material associated with the casing. The casing may be of a rigidly constructed independent of the buoyant material or may be formed by the buoyant material. The spring assembly includes axially disposed opposing first and second couplings. A spring is arranged between the first and second couplings in such a manner that an axial strain induced upon the anchoring system causes the first and second couplings to move in opposing directions, thus distorting the spring axially. This distortion of the spring absorbs the shock or relieves the strain sustained by the connecting line. An absence of strain allows the spring to relax, or to return a normal state or condition.