Goofs for
Jaws 3-D (1983) More at IMDbPro »

• Factual errors: Sharks can't swim backwards. It's physically impossible. Their fins are not flexible like other fish. They can go backwards by stopping and falling backwards. However, the shark in this movie backs out of a vent pipe, and it's stated that it used the pipe as a hiding spot. There's no way it could get in and out.
  
  
• Continuity: The front of a submersible seems to vanish briefly as it rotates.
  
  
• Continuity: In one shot, a trainer looks at the dolphins in a white and blue Sea World shirt; in the next shot, he is wearing a completely different shirt.
  
  

• Continuity: The shark is said to be 35 feet in length. In almost every shot it appears no more than 10 feet in length. (the only real 35-foot length is at the end with its body sticking out of the control room and its head inside)
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: The men breaking into the park are visibly not saying anything, yet several lines are exchanged between them.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Monafilament strings can be seen holding up "waving" flags and the Harpoon that Mike Brody fires at the shark.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: At one point, as the tour guide is trying to lead the tourists out of the "Undersea Tunnel" you can clearly see the green screen stage outside the tunnel set. This is true when viewing the full screen for TV stations-only version; not true when viewing the DVD wide screen version.
  
  
• Continuity: When the first smaller shark attacks, it alternately does/doesn't have a piece of rope in its mouth.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: The first shark's head noticeably compresses about 6" back into its fake body when it hits the lagoon gate.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the public observation pool, when the shark gets sick, Kathryn jumps in and starts stroking the shark's skin back and forth. Shark skin is smooth running from nose to tail, but is rough from tail to nose (shark skin was formerly used as by carpenters as an abrasive), so she would have hurt her hand stroking the shark that way.
  
  
• Continuity: Brody was wearing a one-piece mask when welding the tunnel, then when the shark attacks him just as he's done, he has a two-piece mask on.
  
  
• Continuity: When Mike and Sean are having breakfast after Katherine leaves, Mike brings over a pot of coffee which barely has enough for a cup in it. In the next shot he brings it over and it is nearly 3/4 full.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Throughout the movie, the shark has a stream of air-bubbles escaping from its dorsal fin.
  
  
• Factual errors: At the end, when the shark breaks the look-trough window of the control room, it can be seen, that the window is really thin (a few millimeters). A window with that thickness would not hold the pressure of the water. These windows (made of acrylic) with a size like in the movie are approx. 15-20 centimeters at least.
  
  
• Factual errors: The shark is heard snarling and growling. In actuality, sharks have no vocal cords and thus cannot make any kind of sound at all.
  
  
• Continuity: The speed of the sharks are inconsistent within some scenes.
  
  
• Continuity: When the water is safe to enter for repair Mike is seen attached to a rope and umbilicals (oxygen hoses) and lowered into the lagoon. When we witness him next these are replaced by a tank. Once the mother shark appears and Calvin gives the order to "get 'em up," the rope and umbilicals reappear then disappear when returning to Mike and so on. It is standard commercial underwater arc welding practice to always be attached to a rope and umbilical for safety reasons. Also, Mike was lowered by a winch so it could have been used to alert him and bring him to the surface. It would not have to be used at all as the helmet (also standard) would have had a communications device in it to keep in contact with the surface.
  
  
• Continuity: Near the top of the film Calvin is seen observing the skiers with binoculars. The point of this instrument is to bring objects very close to your vision. In this case we should be seeing individuals or a row, not the gang. He would have gotten almost the same view without them as you can see in the next scene shortly thereafter when they cross his path again.
  
  
• Continuity: When the skiers shown after the credits are practicing on the ocean, there are no boats to be seen apart from the one towing them. When they pass Shelby Overman ("the clown in the jockey shorts") and Kelly waves, there are plenty in the background.
  
  
• Continuity: When they are talking about trapping the mother shark with live bait, Philip refers to the shark as him when it has already been called a female. Right after this slip-up he goes back to calling it a her.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: Different voice actors dubbed the character Dan's voice throughout the film.
  
  
• Factual errors: When Kathryn Morgan discovers the baby shark dying in it's new tank, the shark is shown floating in the water. Sharks are inherently heavier than sea water and would sink if they stopped swimming.
  
  
• Factual errors: When we see the crew in the underwater lab, we can just see the shark swimming toward them by moving her tale. But in the next shot that is focused on the shark, she is not moving any part of her body at all and is seemingly gliding toward the glass. Sharks must keep moving to stay alive, and if they ever stopped, they would sink and drown.
  
  

• Continuity: SPOILER: At the end, when Mike and Katherine are in the technical room and the shark breaks the glass, they are not wearing fins. When they blow up the shark and swim to the surface, the overhead shot (when they call Cindy and Sandy (the dolphins)) shows them with fins on their feet.
  
  
• Continuity: SPOILER: When Kelly is tossed by the shark her shorts are different than previously.
  
  
• Continuity: SPOILER: When the baby comes to life in the holding tank after Mike & Kathy rush out, she states "No food, no medication; it's the only live one in captivity guys, let's keep him that way." How is this to be kept that way if the creature is denied food and medication?
  
  

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