if you go to a desert and your in the middle of nowhere you get thirsty and have no water and need to find water to drink so the sun is the reason it heats faster than water in the desert
You know how long it takes for water to start boiling? That is because of waters strong thermal resistance! Water can hold its temperature very well, this is why the ocean only goes up a couple of degrees every year, even with rising temperatures. Water has to reach the temperature of 212 degrees in order to boil. On the other hand, land does not have a very high heat capacity. This is why land heats up faster than water.
