Hurley is a sprint backstroke and middle and distance freestyle specialist and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder 2007–2009.

In 2017, Hurley transitioned into the coaching ranks where he led South African Olympic Champions Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh to Gold and Bronze medals respectively, at the 2017 FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest.

At the 2008 FINA World Championships (25m) in Manchester, England, Hurley competed in six events and picked up a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay as a heat swimmer.

At the 2008 Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Hurley showcased his dominance winning 6 medals, including 5 gold, and extended his range all the way to the 1500m Freestyle.

Hurley went on to compete at the Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin stops of the World Cup, winning 17 medals in total (5 Gold) and placed 4th in the overall standings with 85 points.

His winning time of 3:46.64 moved him into fourth on the Australian All-Time Rankings only behind Olympic Greats Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Kieren Perkins.

At the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, Hurley competed in 5 events and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay Final with teammates Kenrick Monk, Tommaso D'Orsogna and Patrick Murphy.

The race was won in World Record time by Team USA led by Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, closely followed by Russia.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Hurley suffered food poisoning in the athletes village, and missed finals of the 400m Freestyle.

In May 2014, Hurley underwent revolutionary stem cell therapy in both elbows in a bid to overcome osteoarthritis, followed by a 4-month break from the sport.

At the 2016 FINA World Cup, Hurley collected 6 Gold, 15 Silver and 10 Bronze medals across the first 6 meets, before contracting brachial neuritis in the right shoulder and having to withdraw from the rest of the tour.

At the 2016 Australian Short Course Championships in Adelaide, Hurley swam with the brachial neuritis nerve injury and famously took 3rd in the 50m Backstroke without arms, using just kick.

Hurley moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to start professional coaching as Performance Manager of the Chad le Clos Swimming Academy.

Hurley was exclusively coaching Cameron van der Burgh and Danie Marais, and co-coaching Chad le Clos with mentor Andrea Di Nino and the Energy Standard International Swimming Club.