macOS App Guide
Pelagic for macOS
The Pelagic macOS app is a full-featured dive logbook and planning tool for your Mac. Review your dive history, track equipment, explore dive sites on a map, and plan future dives — all in a native macOS experience with a sidebar-and-detail layout.
The macOS app is a companion to the Watch and iPhone apps. Dives are recorded on Apple Watch and sync via iCloud. The macOS app does not record dives directly.
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
System Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| macOS version | macOS 14 Sonoma or later |
| Processor | Apple Silicon (M1 or later) or Intel |
| iCloud | Required for dive sync with iPhone and Watch |
| Disk space | ~50 MB for app; logbook stored in iCloud |
Download and Installation
Pelagic for macOS is available from the Mac App Store. Search for Pelagic or follow the link from getpelagic.app.
- Open the Mac App Store and search for Pelagic
- Click Get (free tier) or Buy (standalone)
- Authenticate with Touch ID or your Apple ID password
- The app installs to your Applications folder
If you have a Pelagic Pro subscription, the macOS app is included at no extra cost — just sign in with the same Apple ID.
Signing In
Pelagic uses your iCloud account — no separate login required. The app reads your dive data from your private iCloud container automatically when you open it.
Ensure you are signed into iCloud in System Settings → Apple ID and that iCloud Drive is enabled.
First Launch
On first launch the app opens to the Logbook view. If you have existing dives on your iPhone or Watch, they will appear after a brief iCloud sync. If no dives exist yet, the logbook shows example entries to illustrate the layout.
Sidebar Navigation
The app uses a standard macOS NavigationSplitView — a persistent sidebar on the left with a full-width detail area on the right.
| Sidebar item | Icon | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Logbook | 📋 | Complete dive history as a sortable table |
| Statistics | 📊 | Charts and totals across all dives |
| Planning | 📐 | NDL, MOD, surface interval, no-fly calculators |
| Equipment | 🧰 | Tanks, regulators, and other gear |
| Dive Sites | 🗺 | Site list with dive counts and MapKit map |
Click any sidebar item to switch views. The sidebar can be hidden with View → Hide Sidebar (⌃⌘S) for a full-screen logbook.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘N | New dive (manual entry) |
| ⌘I | Import dive file (UDDF or Suunto JSON) |
| ⌘E | Export logbook |
| ⌘F | Focus search bar |
| ⌘, | Open Preferences |
| ⌃⌘S | Toggle sidebar |
| ↑ ↓ | Navigate dive list |
| Return | Open selected dive detail |
Logbook — Dive Table
The logbook displays all your dives as a sortable table. Each row shows key stats at a glance.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Site | Dive site name. "Unknown Site" until named. Shows country flag if country is set. |
| Date | Date and time of dive entry |
| Depth | Maximum depth in metres (or feet if imperial) |
| Duration | Total dive time |
| Gas | Breathing gas — Air, EAN32, EAN36, or custom O₂% |
| Temp | Water temperature |
| Rating | Star rating (1–5) if set |
Click any column header to sort ascending or descending. The search bar at the top filters by site name, buddy, or notes.
Search
Press ⌘F or click the search field to filter dives. Results update as you type. Search matches site name, region, country, buddy, and notes.
Comparing Dives
Select 2–4 dives in the logbook table (click the first, then ⌘-click additional rows) then click Compare in the toolbar. A split view opens with the depth profiles overlaid on the same chart, and a side-by-side stats table below.
Map View
Toggle Map in the toolbar to switch from the table to a MapKit map. Each dive site appears as a colour-coded pin — blue for most recent, amber for older. Click a pin to see the site name and dive count, then click through to see dives at that site.
Dive Detail — Profile & Stats
Click any dive row to open the detail view in the right panel (or double-click to open in a new window).
Depth profile chart
An interactive line chart of depth over time for the entire dive, built from 4-second samples recorded on the Watch. Hover over the chart to see depth and elapsed time at any point. A secondary temperature trace can be shown by toggling Show temp above the chart.
Stats grid
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| Max depth | Deepest point reached during the dive |
| Duration | Total dive time from entry to exit |
| Avg depth | Mean depth throughout the dive |
| Temperature | Water temperature at depth |
| Gas | Breathing gas used |
| Safety stop | ✓ completed or ✗ skipped |
| SAC rate | Surface Air Consumption (if tank data is entered) |
Location map card
When a GPS position was recorded (at dive entry), a MapKit card shows the surface location. Click Open in Maps to view in Apple Maps.
Editing Dive Fields
All metadata fields are editable directly in the detail view. Click any field to edit inline — no separate edit mode required.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Site name | Name of the dive site (e.g. "Elphinstone Reef, Egypt") |
| Country | Country — sets the flag shown in the logbook table |
| Region | Region or body of water (e.g. "Red Sea") |
| Buddy | Your dive buddy's name |
| Notes | Free text notes — what you saw, conditions, visibility |
| Rating | 1–5 stars. Click the stars to set. |
Changes save automatically and sync to your iPhone and Watch via iCloud.
Photo Gallery
Drag and drop photos onto the dive detail view to attach them to that dive. Photos are stored in your iCloud container and sync to the iPhone app. Click any photo to open in Quick Look, or right-click to remove.
Statistics
The Statistics view gives a high-level view of your diving history across all dives.
| Card / Chart | Description |
|---|---|
| Total dives | Lifetime dive count |
| Total time | Cumulative bottom time (hours and minutes) |
| Deepest dive | Maximum depth across all dives |
| Countries | Number of countries dived |
| Dives per month | Bar chart — activity over the past 12 months |
| Depth distribution | Histogram of dives by depth band (0–10m, 10–20m, etc.) |
| Gas mix breakdown | Pie chart — proportion of Air vs. Nitrox dives |
| Top buddies | Bar chart — most dives with each buddy |
Planning Tools
The Planning section provides the same Bühlmann-powered calculators as the iPhone and Watch apps, optimised for a larger screen with more detail.
NDL Calculator
Calculate the No Decompression Limit for any depth and gas mix. Set planned depth (5–40m) and gas (Air / EAN32 / EAN36 / Custom), and the NDL updates live. A colour bar indicates safety margin: green >20 min, amber 10–20 min, red <10 min.
MOD Calculator
Enter any O₂ percentage (21–40%) and see the Maximum Operating Depth at 1.4 and 1.6 atm PO₂ limits.
Surface Interval
Enter a previous dive's depth and duration to get the recommended minimum surface interval before the next dive.
No-Fly Time
Enter a planned dive profile to calculate the minimum no-fly restriction. Shows the DAN/PADI minimum (18 hours) alongside the Bühlmann-calculated value.
Equipment — Tanks
Track your cylinder inventory. Each tank record includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Your name for the tank (e.g. "12L Alu — Red") |
| Capacity | Volume in litres |
| Working pressure | Rated fill pressure in bar |
| Material | Aluminium or Steel |
| Last inspection | Date of last hydrostatic test |
Equipment — Regulators
Track service intervals for your regulators. Fields include brand, model, serial number, last service date, and service interval (months). The row turns amber when the next service is within 3 months, and red when overdue.
Equipment — Gear
A list of other dive equipment: BCD, wetsuit, dive computer, fins, mask, torch, SMB. Each item has a name, brand, model, and purchase date. Useful for export to insurance documents or annual gear checks.
Dive Sites
The Dive Sites section lists every unique site name in your logbook, with a dive count for each. Click a site to see all dives there and view its location on a MapKit map. Site coordinates are geocoded from the site name and country using Apple Maps — you can also drag the pin to correct the position.
Sites are sorted by dive count by default. Use the search field to filter by name.
Import
Import dives from other dive computers or logging software using File → Import (⌘I) or by dragging a file onto the app window.
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UDDF | .xml | Universal Dive Data Format — supported by Shearwater, Subsurface, MacDive |
| Suunto JSON | .json | Export from Suunto app or DiveManager |
Imported dives are merged into your logbook. Duplicates (matching date and max depth within ±1m) are detected and skipped with a confirmation prompt.
Export
Export your entire logbook or selected dives using File → Export (⌘E).
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| UDDF (.xml) | Open standard — compatible with Subsurface, MacDive, DiveLog, and most dive software |
| Suunto JSON (.json) | For re-importing into Suunto tools |
| PDF logbook | Formatted printable logbook — one dive per page with depth profile chart and stats |
Your dive data belongs to you. Export at any time to keep a local backup or move to another platform.
iCloud Sync with iPhone & Watch
With a Pelagic Pro subscription, your logbook syncs automatically across iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac via iCloud. All edits — site names, notes, ratings, photos — propagate to all devices within seconds.
Sync is handled by CloudKit and requires all devices to be signed into the same Apple ID with iCloud Drive enabled.
iCloud sync requires a Pelagic Pro subscription (£4.99/mo). The macOS Standalone purchase does not include iCloud sync — dives can be imported manually via UDDF.
Watch Sync
Dives recorded on your Apple Watch sync to the paired iPhone via WatchConnectivity, and then to your Mac via iCloud. The sync chain is fully automatic — finish a dive, and it appears in the macOS app within minutes.
Dives that arrived from the Watch are shown with a ⌚ badge in the logbook table. You can add site name, notes, and ratings on the Mac, and those changes sync back to iPhone.
The Mac does not communicate directly with the Apple Watch — sync always passes through the paired iPhone.
Pricing & Plans
| Plan | Price | Includes macOS app |
|---|---|---|
| Pelagic Pro | £4.99/mo | Yes — included free |
| macOS Standalone | £34.99 once | macOS only (no iOS Pro features) |
The macOS app is available on the Mac App Store. Pro subscribers get the macOS app included at no extra cost — just sign in with the same Apple ID.
See full pricing details on the main site.