Unfortunately, the kelp beds are suffering environmental stresses. It provides a short explanation of Lydia B. Ladah's Ph.D. thesis, a kelp reforestation project in Baja California. The Yucatan Peninsula has an interesting geology. A thin layer of soil covers limestone bedrock. Rain which falls on the peninsula seeps through the limestone, eroding it into caves.
Rain collects in the caves and flows underground to the sea.
Therefore the peninsula has almost no surface water except for the cenotes, small surface openings on the underground caves. A large part of the challenge of farming in the Yucatan is finding ways to cope with the shortage of water for crops. Interested, looking for ways to exploit it. Sierra, July 1992, p. 44. A bit outdated, but the general situation is probably still similar.