> Yes, you do die of thirst if lost at sea. You can't drink the water
You say that as if I hadn't already pointed it out. Being unable to drink the water doesn't mean you die of thirst while at sea. There are many well-documented examples of people surviving at sea for much longer than it would take to die of thirst. It doesn't matter that you can't drink seawater; you can get water in other ways.
I think you're confusing what's happening. People die of thirst faster in the desert because deserts are generally hot and dry, so you sweat profusely. Meaning you are going to lose your store of internal water faster.
Also, I think you're just taking an analogy made way too literally. Analogies are messy but used to help illustrate a point. They do require one to read the intent of the speaker more than the literal words used.
> You don't die of thirst when lost at sea. You can survive indefinitely there.
Is a objectively false statement that is trivial to verify by a quick google search or anyone who has spent any reasonable amount of time in or around an ocean.
> You can't drink straight seawater, but that doesn't matter because water is available by other means.
And those means are...? If you're floating in the ocean, good luck distilling the water. Idk if you've ever tried to distill water before, but it isn't as easy as the movies make it look. Trust me, I've done simulated survival exercises both on land and in the ocean. Or don't trust me and just google it.
You say that as if I hadn't already pointed it out. Being unable to drink the water doesn't mean you die of thirst while at sea. There are many well-documented examples of people surviving at sea for much longer than it would take to die of thirst. It doesn't matter that you can't drink seawater; you can get water in other ways.
But in the desert, you'll die.