Though many coastal places around the world are at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change, Florida is one of the most vulnerable. Here, powerful water jets keep pleasure-seekers aloft in Biscayne Bay, near downtown Miami. They’re the latest toys in a city that embraces an exuberant aquatic lifestyle, even as rising seas threaten its long-term survival.

See more photos from the February 2015 feature story “Treading Water.”

Learn more about George Steinmetz's trademark technique of photographing from a motorized paraglider on Proof.