Continuity mistake: When Tina is running away from Eddie in the building on the beach, you see that the building is casting a huge shadow across the beach. But when it cuts to the next shot in which they are running past all their friends, there is no shadow being cast on the shore from the building. (00:26:35)
Continuity mistake: When Tina and Eddie stumble upon the huge dead whale on the beach, they are standing upon a large sand dune to the whale's left. However in the next scene where everyone is gathered around and Dr. Elkins measures the bites in the whale, the sand dune has mysteriously vanished. (00:27:00)
Continuity mistake: After Tina and Eddie have discovered the dead whale on the beach, it fades to an overhead shot of the beach. On the shore there are three sailing boats, one with a white sail, one with a light blue sail, and the other with a dark green sail. Nothing else. Yet in the next close-up of Chief Brody and Dr. Lureen Elkins walking along the beach, an inflatable raft has now appeared on the beach, next to the boat with the dark green sail. (00:27:10)
Continuity mistake: When we see the dead whale's mouth there is some seaweed on its mouth. When Brody is helping Dr. Elkins measuring the whale a larger lump of seaweed appears on its mouth. (00:27:35)
Continuity mistake: When Dr. Lureen Elkins is walking around the dead whale you can see a man in a black t-shirt in the background covering his nose with his hand and then lowering his hand. When it cuts to a close-up of Elkins and Brody, the man is still covering his nose. (00:27:40)
Continuity mistake: When Brody sits on the beach, he begins to untie his shoelace of his left boot. In the next shot both of his boots are now magically off, and he is now pulling off his left sock. (00:34:20)
Continuity mistake: When Brody is in his office, he pours a coffee. Then in one shot you can see the mug on top of the filing cabinet, and the phone rings and Brody walks over and answers it - both hands empty. Yet when he puts the phone down, he picks up the coffee mug from off of the desk, next to the telephone. (00:36:45)
Continuity mistake: When Mike is repainting a striped beach-house, he turns to see his friends riding a catamaran, and he then turns and makes a big splodge with his brush on the second stripe from the side, on the beach-house. In this shot note the shape of the paint on this stripe. After Chief Brody rings the bell because he thinks he sees a shark, he begins to climb down the watch tower, and it then cuts to a shot of Mike standing in front of the beach-house - and now the shape of the paint-marks are different - they are lower and smaller. (00:42:35 - 00:44:50)
Continuity mistake: When Brody start ringing the bell he grabs on to the tower booth's poles with both hands. When it cuts, only one hand is holding on to the pole and the other hand is placed on the booth itself. (00:44:30)
Continuity mistake: When Brody thinks he spots a shark, he rings his bell, then begins to descend the watch tower. In one shot you can see a woman with blonde hair, sitting on a beach-chair, at the bottom of the watch-tower. In the next overhead shot, as Brody runs across the beach, the same woman now suddenly has an orange hat on. (00:44:50)
Continuity mistake: After the false scare on the beach, Brody pushes the chamber back into his revolver twice. (00:46:20)
Continuity mistake: When Brody is at Phil's to develop the pictures we see in an overhead shot Phil picking up a Polaroid sheet and on his side there is a pincer. When it cuts the pincer has changed position. (00:48:55)
Continuity mistake: When Brody is with the photograph developer, who is developing the divers photos for him, he takes a photo from a box and puts it in a tray of liquid, and he then puts the lid of the box on properly. Then in following shots the box lid alternates from on properly, to off slightly. (00:49:00)
Continuity mistake: When Mike and all of his friends are at the bar, Mike has a glass of coke on top of a napkin, sitting in front of him. However in one shot of Mike saying “yeah, sure,” the coke has vanished. Through the same bar scene items on the bar change their positions, move around, appear, etc,. (00:53:40)
Continuity mistake: When Chief Brody comes home drunk, he finds Ellen and Hendricks sitting talking and he then comes in and pours himself and Hendricks a drink, in order to celebrate the fact that Brody has just given Hendricks his Chief of Police badge. Back and forth between shots, the amount of drink in Brody's glass differs. (00:56:05)
Continuity mistake: When Mike and Andy are on the sail-boat, adjusting the green sail, the zipper on Mike's blue lifevest alternates from being at the bottom / top of the zip on his vest. (01:00:20)
Continuity mistake: When Andy and Mike are standing on the boat, the position of the boat's green sail changes from shot to shot. The two red stripes on the sail clearly verify this - watch them as they change position and location as well. (01:00:20)
Continuity mistake: When Andy and Mike are standing on the boat, adjusting the green sail, between shots the boats on the water behind them completely change. (01:00:20)
Continuity mistake: When Mike and Sean are on the boat and Mike says "If you're gonna get in the way you can just go home" and Sean grabs the line with one hand. When it cuts, he's holding onto the line with both hands. (01:00:35)
Continuity mistake: When the divers are snorkelling underwater for lobsters, the diver in the blue swimsuit's snorkel keeps switching which side of his face it is strapped to. (01:03:40)