Continuity mistake: When Gene Hackman shakes the metal doors that lead to the shaft, in a close-up he unlatches the small latch holding the doors together. After a cut showing some water filling up the passageway, it cuts back to the shaft where the metal doors are shaking, but the hook is now latched again. (01:04:15)
Continuity mistake: Gene Hackman and John Shea are both doused with water when they come out of the restroom. In the next shot, their hair is completely dry.
Continuity mistake: Just as Susan jumps down from the overturned table, you see a shot of her feet, and she is not wearing shoes. Then when she lands in the curtain, she has her shoes on.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where they start going through the pipe and end up in the funnel thing Gene Hackman takes off the pipe cover and leans it against the wall. After everybody gets into the funnel it shows the water lapping at the pipe. In the background you see the cover is leaning against the pipe, not the wall.
Continuity mistake: In the dining room, after the ship has turned over, Scott tells Mrs. Rogo she has to take off her gown because she can't climb in it. Mr. Rogo says "she's got nothin' on under it." To which she answers, "Panties, what else do I need?" She changes into her husband's shirt. However, when they are climbing through the ventilation shaft, just before she gets onto the ladder, she's wearing a bra.
Suggested correction: Clearly she was referring to what was covering her bottom half, as the shirt would cover the top half.
Not quite sure about the accuracy in that response... if responding to the bottom half only, Rev. Scott would not have jumped at the shirt idea so quickly. When being told "just panties" it told the Reverend that she most likely was topless and also why Mr. Rogo got angry about taking the gown off in general. If a bra was on her, Mr. Rogo most likely wouldn't have blown up like that.
Continuity mistake: Just before Shelley Winters tries to persuade the others she should be first to swim the underwater corridor to the engine room because she used to be an underwater swimming champion, watch closely what she is doing with her hands in each shot before she speaks. In one shot she is fondling the medallion hanging on a chain around her neck; in cutaway shots you can see the medallion is hanging free and her hands are nowhere near it.
Continuity mistake: When Manny leaves Belle behind to join the others in the propeller shaft, a crew member is lying 'dead' behind him. As Manny passes him, you can see the crew member move his arm, possibly to get it away from the fire below him.
Continuity mistake: When Gene Hackman is about to swim through the passage to the Engine Room, Red Buttons hands him a lit flashlight. The camera changes to Gene under the water, and he is turning on the light again.
Continuity mistake: When Terry falls from the table into the skylight, you can see passengers standing around on the ceiling. A moment later, everybody is lying strewn around.
Continuity mistake: During the capsizing, the piano crushes two passengers against a wall. When the piano falls to the ceiling/floor, you can see the same two people fall, but are very much conscious/alive.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the capsizing, Terry falls from the table into the ceiling light, and there are people standing around, clutching each other, which shouldn't be because they wouldn't have had time to recover. When the emergency lights come on, everybody is strewn and about to recover, nobody is standing clutching each other.
