SeaLog
Garmin
How to import dives from a Garmin Descent G2
The Garmin Descent G2 exists in both a wired and a Bluetooth LE generation. Try the wireless download first, and if your unit never appears, the cable route further down brings the same dives across.
Download dives from the Garmin Descent G2
- Wake the computer and put it in transfer mode
Charge or wake the Garmin Descent G2 and open its Bluetooth or PC/upload mode. Most models only advertise for a minute or two, so do this last, right before you pair.
Most units only hold this mode for a minute or two, so do it last, right before you connect. - Open the import hub in SeaLog
In SeaLog, tap the plus button, then Import dives, then Dive computer. Allow Bluetooth when iOS asks. SeaLog never asks for a manufacturer account.
- Pick your model and pair
Choose Garmin Descent G2 from the list. If iOS shows a pairing prompt, accept it. Keep the computer in transfer mode until the download finishes.
The unit only advertises for a short window. If it never appears, put it back into transfer mode and try again straight away. - Download the dives
SeaLog pulls every dive still in the computer's memory, with depth profile, water temperature, gas and surface interval, and skips the ones you already have.
- Check and keep
New dives land in your logbook ready to name, place on a site and tag with the species you saw. Nothing was retyped.
If it never shows up: the cable route
The wired generation of the Descent G2 has no radio at all, so there is nothing to pair with. It goes through a computer once, and after that you can log straight into SeaLog on the boat.
- Connect the Garmin Descent G2 to a Mac or PC
Use the usb cable made for the Garmin Descent G2, not a generic charging cable: the data pins differ. Check the o-ring is seated, line the connector up with the notch on the case, and turn it to lock. An iPhone or iPad cannot open this kind of connection at all, so this step has to happen on a computer.
The o-ring must be in place, the nub lines up with the notch, then the head turns a quarter turn to lock. This cable is None. Native USB, no USB-serial bridge. The Descent Mk1 enumerates as a USB mass-storage volume (FIT files under GARMIN/Activity); the Descent Mk2 and every later model enumerate as an MTP device. Garmin publishes no CP210x/FTDI/Prolific-style driver for these, because none is needed for Garmin's own software.. - Put the computer into PC mode
Switch the Garmin Descent G2 into its PC or upload mode before you launch the software, not after. Most desktop apps only look for the unit at startup, so a computer that wakes up late is a computer the software never finds.
Most units only hold this mode for a minute or two, so do it last, right before you connect. - Download the dives with desktop software
Read the computer with Garmin Dive and Garmin Connect or Subsurface. Subsurface is free, open source, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and supports this model.
- Export the dives as UDDF
Export the whole logbook to a UDDF file. UDDF is the open dive-log exchange format and keeps the full depth profile, not just the summary numbers.
Export the whole logbook, not the visible page. UDDF keeps the sample-by-sample depth profile, which a summary CSV does not. - Import the file into SeaLog
Get the file to your phone. AirDrop, iCloud Drive or email all work, anything that lands it in the iOS Files app. Then in SeaLog tap the plus button, Import dives, UDDF file, and pick it. Every dive arrives with its profile, and duplicates are skipped.
A dive log app for the Descent G2
Once the dives are in, SeaLog treats them like its own: a scrubbable depth profile, the site pinned on a map, water temperature, gas and tank, buddies, and the photos from your camera roll matched to the minutes you were underwater. Tag the animals you saw and they go into your species life list. It works offline on the boat and syncs when you are back, and your whole logbook exports to UDDF, CSV or PDF whenever you ask, so nothing is locked in here either.
Garmin’s own software and drivers
Fully alive and actively developed. Garmin ships current firmware, a maintained Garmin Dive phone app, the Garmin Connect web platform, and a Garmin Express desktop client, and released new Descent hardware (X30) as recently as September 2025.
- Desktop softwareGarmin Dive app (official product and download page)The primary route off every Descent: pulls dive logs over Bluetooth and can export any single dive as a FIT file.Win + Mac
- Mobile appGarmin Dive on the App StoreRequires iOS 17.0 or later.iOS
- Mobile appGarmin Dive on Google PlayRequires Android 9.0 or later with native Play Store; Android Go edition devices are unsupported.Android
- ManualDescent G2 Series Owner's Manual (PDF)Manual for the 2025 rugged watch-style G2.
- Desktop softwareGarmin Connect (web)The only desktop-class view of your dives, and the only place that offers both a bulk CSV export and a per-dive original FIT download.Browser
- Desktop softwareGarmin Express for WindowsDesktop companion over the USB cable; handles firmware and account sync only, with no dive-log viewer or dive export.Windows
- Desktop softwareGarmin Express for macOSmacOS build of the same firmware-and-sync utility.macOS
- Desktop softwareGarmin Express Windows installer (direct download)The installer binary itself, served straight from Garmin's download host.Windows
Every link goes to Garmin’s own site and was checked before publishing. If one has rotted since, tell us and we will fix it.
Garmin Descent G2: common questions
Does the Garmin Descent G2 have Bluetooth?
It depends on the generation. This model line was sold in both a wired version and a later Bluetooth LE version, and they look almost identical. The quickest way to find out which one is on your wrist is to try the Bluetooth download first: if the computer never shows up while it is in transfer mode with a fresh battery, yours is the wired one and the cable route below is the way in.
Why will my Garmin Descent G2 not connect over Bluetooth?
Nine times out of ten the computer has dropped out of transfer mode: it only advertises for a short window, so put it back into Bluetooth or upload mode and try again immediately. After that, check that the battery is not low, that no other app or desktop is already holding the connection, and that Bluetooth permission is granted to SeaLog in iOS Settings. Toggling iOS Bluetooth off and on clears a stale pairing more often than it should.
Which cable and drivers do I need on a Mac?
Use the Garmin interface cable made for this model, not a generic charging cable: the data pins differ. Most of these cables are USB-to-serial and need the driver for their chipset on macOS, usually Silicon Labs CP210x or FTDI. Install the driver, reboot, and the port appears to the desktop software.
Does the depth profile come across, or just the numbers?
The full profile. SeaLog stores the sample-by-sample depth, temperature and ascent data, draws it as a graph you can scrub, and can export the whole thing back out to UDDF at any time.