SeaLogSeemann
How to import dives from a Seemann XP5
The Seemann XP5 transfers over serial cable only. iOS does not expose that kind of connection to apps, so the dives come across once through a Mac or PC, then live on your phone forever.
Transfer the dives off the Seemann XP5
- Install the driver for the cable
The serial cable is a USB-to-serial adapter, and its chipset needs a driver before any software can see the Seemann XP5. Install the Silicon Labs CP210x or FTDI driver, then reboot. Skip this and the desktop app will report no device on a cable that is working perfectly.
These cables are USB-to-serial. Without the CP210x driver the port never appears, and the software reports no device. - Connect the Seemann XP5 to a Mac or PC
Use the serial cable made for the Seemann XP5, 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. - Put the computer into PC mode
Switch the Seemann XP5 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 Subsurface, or your manufacturer's own desktop software. 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 XP5
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.
Seemann’s own software and drivers
Dead twice over. Seemann Sub was bought by Johnson Outdoors in 2007, rebranded to SUBGEAR in 2010, and SUBGEAR was later folded away under Scubapro. No Seemann website, software, driver or manual survives from the manufacturer, and nothing in the current Scubapro line-up reads an XP5.
- Desktop softwareSubsurface (open-source, reads the Seemann XP5)The realistic route: the XP5 is listed among Subsurface's directly supported computers.Win + Mac
- Desktop softwarelibdivecomputerHandles the XP5 as an Oceanic-family device over a serial connection, which is what every third-party logger uses.Win + Mac
- Desktop softwareMacDive (macOS and iOS logbook)macOS
- Desktop softwareDiving Log (Windows logbook)Windows
- Desktop softwareScubapro LogTRAKListed only to rule it out: LogTRAK covers Uwatec-derived computers, and the XP5 is not one of them.Win + Mac
- SupportScubapro (the brand that absorbed Seemann and SUBGEAR)Where the brand's ownership ended up, though it carries no Seemann-era downloads.
Every link goes to Seemann’s own site and was checked before publishing. If one has rotted since, tell us and we will fix it.
Seemann XP5: common questions
Can I connect the Seemann XP5 to my iPhone directly?
No, and no app can change that. The Seemann XP5 transfers over serial cable only, a connection iOS does not expose to apps. Anyone promising a direct wireless download from this model is describing a different computer. The one-time cable route above gets every dive across.
Which cable and drivers do I need on a Mac?
Use the Seemann 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.
Do I have to do this every time I dive?
Only if you want the new dives in digitally. Many divers do the cable run once to rescue their history, then log new dives directly in SeaLog on the boat, which takes about as long as filling in a paper page.