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: 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)
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: 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)
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: 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: 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)
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.
Answer: According to survivor reports, yes. In a gas blow-out, a huge quantity of pressurized petroleum gas pours out for many seconds, forming a rapidly-expanding cloud, before a single spark finally ignites it. Typically, the outpouring of gas creates its own spark as static electricity builds up.
Charles Austin Miller