Hartley Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(North East England, UK)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Hartley Reef Surf Guide

Hartley Reef in North East England is a fairly exposed reef break that only works when conditions are just right. Winter and spring are the best times of year to visit. Ideal winds are from the west. Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the north northeast.. Best around high tide. Watch out for rocks and pollution.

Hartley Reef Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	2	inconsistent	9.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Hartley Reef:

The best conditions reported for surf at Hartley Reef occur when a North-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Hartley Reef (for consistent clean waves)?

decemberBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Hartley Reef with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of December. Clean surfable waves are typically found 17% of the time in December while 10% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 73% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

17%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

10%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

73%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Hartley Reef Location Map

Interactive Hartley Reef surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Hartley Reef is Newcastle Airport (NCL) in England, 15 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Hartley Reef is Teesside Airport (MME), also in England, 62 km (39 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Hartley Reef Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 10:07 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	10AM	1PM	4PM	7PM
Wave (m)	N	N	NNE	NNE
Period (s)	8	5	6	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross	cross

Tides at Hartley Reef

Current tide and informaton

For North Shields, England, 5 km from Hartley Reef.

Next High Water: 06:30pm | 4.35m

Next Low Water: 12:26pm | 1.12m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Hartley Reef Sea Temperature

The water temperature (9.8 °C) at Hartley Reef is very cold. You will need a quality steamer wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots. Cloudy, with an effective air temperature of (6.0 °C), so feeling about the same in the water or out of it.

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.