Originally Posted by
Rick
Buddha - I really don't have an explanation as to why it was not included in later revisions. My guess is the amount of expended energy required and the amount of return. You are not guaranteed water even if the terrain is relatively flat and digging for any length of time increases your need for water, particularly if it's hot.
Boiling salt water and capturing the steam in a cloth doesn't require much effort and will yield a good amount of water in a short amount of time.
I've personally never tried to obtain water by digging near the ocean so my thoughts are more theoretical than practical.