Character mistake: When Mike's wife is watching the news about the oil rig on fire, you can see the TV with part of the U.S. map on it and 'Mississippi' is misspelled as Missisippi. (01:09:10)
Factual error: Towards the end of the movie when the hotel keys are handed out, they're IHG hotel keys for the Crowne Plaza. When the incident occurred, the cards would have been Priority Club, not IHG. (01:34:10)
Factual error: Mike would not drive down to Port Fourchon to pump gas in his truck, to drive up to Bristow heliport in Galliano (30 miles north). In actuality BP uses PHI helicopters out of Houma. That alone is close to 130 mile wasted round trip.
Continuity mistake: The mud patterns on Vidrine's hard hat are constantly changing towards the end of the film. This is after the mud has stopped flowing. (01:17:10)
Character mistake: Jimmy is seen reading a weather report while on the helicopter. However it's spelled "weater". (00:11:00)
Continuity mistake: When Felicia Williams goes to see Mike at the hotel after the accident, her nails change. During the accident, they are a pink color, but after and in the hotel, they are unpainted. It's unlikely she would have her nails done during and after the accident.
Visible crew/equipment: Near the end when Mark is walking into the hotel, the reflection of the camera operator can be seen to the left in the door. (01:34:00)
Suggested correction: There is also the world media outside filming the survivors entering the hotel. To say it is a camera operator, while statistically true, can't be classed a mistake as we don't know if it's a member of the media.
This is the actual camera filming the shot. That's a mistake.
Factual error: The rig is continually referred to as "Deepwater" or "The Deepwater." This is incorrect, as more than one rig used "Deepwater" as part of its name (i.e. Deepwater Nautilus). It was called "Horizon" as a short version of the name.
Visible crew/equipment: When Kaluza is receiving instructions on what to do if he ends up in the water, a camera shadow can been seen moving over his life vest. (01:09:30)
Continuity mistake: Just as the well kicks for the first time, the drill shack gets covered in mud. The camera changes to a wide shot outside the shack and it's no longer covered in mud. (00:48:50)
Continuity mistake: When Don is explaining about the pressure problem there is a close up of Mike and in the background Don is writing on the board. Camera cuts to a different angle and now Don is facing away from the board. (00:38:20)
Audio problem: When talking to Dale, Mike is seen talking from an over the shoulder angle. He then stops talking but his mouth continues to move. (00:20:20)
Continuity mistake: When Mike arrives on the Deepwater, he adjusts his earplug, the camera changes and he raises his hand to adjust his earplug again. (00:13:50)
Continuity mistake: We see Mike and his wife in bed at the start and the wife doesn't have a blanket over her lower body. Angle changes and she does. Her body is constantly changing position between shots too. (00:03:10)
Continuity mistake: The diagram Don draws on the whiteboard keeps changing between shots. Note the number of dots he puts on there. (00:41:00)
Continuity mistake: When walking to the chopper at the start, Mike is wearing a baseball cap and carrying a bag in each hand. He shouldn't be wearing a cap anyway, as all caps or hats are required to be placed in your baggage before you ever step out on the tarmac. Camera cuts and the hat has disappeared. (00:13:00)
Visible crew/equipment: When we see the helicopter being fueled up at the start we see men working connecting the fuel line. When they do this, we see a camera shadow very briefly on their shoulder. (00:12:40)
