Australian surfer Mick Fanning has announced he and his wife Karissa Dalton have split after a decade together.

Fanning announced the separation on his Facebook page, accompanied with a photograph of the two smiling together.

“I have nothing but love and respect for this woman. Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004,” he wrote.

“We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year.

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“There has been some speculation about our marriage coming to an end over the past six months. We refuted those claims because we were both committed to working things out since we separated last February.

“After giving it our all though, late last year we made the tough mutual decision to move on separately.”

Fanning and Dalton in November. Photo: Getty

Fanning suffered a traumatic 2015, fighting off a shark in 2015’s J-Bay Open in South Africa before losing his brother the day before he failed to win a fourth World Title.

Judging by the comments on the Facebook post, it’s clear the surfer has gained a legion of new fans with his resilience.

“I never followed surfing until recently with your shark encounter however if I have learnt anything about you, it’s your courage, fight, passion and determination to make a horrible situation into a positive and now again your in this same position!” wrote on user.

“Hold your head high and feel proud of the man you are and after all that you, your family and friends have endured. You are an inspiration beyond words Mick,” wrote another.

Fanning and former model turned wedding blogger Dalton married seven years ago, but were widely accepted to have separated around the time Fanning was attacked by the shark in 2015, reported the Courier Mail.

Dalton travels regularly to the US for work, while Fanning travels nine months of the year for his surfing commitments.