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DL7 Format

DL7 ("Dive Log 7") is a text-based data exchange format created by Divers Alert Network (DAN) for its Project Dive Exploration research. Several dive log programs now use it to export dives, so you may have .zxu or .dl7 files from software you use or have used.

File extension

Files in this format usually use the .zxu extension — for example, my_dive.zxu, as written by Shearwater Cloud. Some older programs name them .dl7.

What is inside a DL7 file?

A DL7 file contains the details of each dive exported from your dive log software:

  • Dive profile (depth over time, sampled every few seconds)
  • Maximum depth and bottom time
  • Water temperature at depth
  • Tank pressure (when your dive computer records it)
  • Decompression information and safety stops

The file is plain text organised in labelled segments, so different programs can read the same data.

Where do DL7 files come from?

DL7 files are created by dive log software rather than directly by your dive computer. Check your software's export options for "DL7" or "DAN". For example, see Exporting Dives from Shearwater Cloud or Exporting Dives from Suunto DM5 for two apps that offer a DL7 export option.

Importing DL7 files into DiveHub

DiveHub can read DL7 files directly. See Importing Dives for step-by-step instructions.

Open a DL7 file without importing it

Want to check what is inside a file first? The free DL7 viewer opens it in your browser and shows the dive details and depth graph. Your file is never uploaded.