Loks like great fun, Mark. Does your Jeep have a snorkel?
No, I'm one of the few that wheel that area without one. I do mostly rocks and mountain trails and not a lot of deep water. On the tight trails I often run I'd rip most snorkels off the Jeep. And to be honest, the way I wheel I don't normally need one.
I don't usually cross deep water without walking it out first. If the bottom is reasonably firm and not more than 36" deep I have no problem going through slow enough to not risk a big wave that might get sucked-up in the engine. But it was cold and I'd crossed this pond before at another point without trouble. Prime example of what happens when you assume. In this case I just bogged down, not hydrolocked.
Once I got a strap hooked up another Jeep pulled me out. I actually didn't have to do much walking in the water.
Here's a video of the recovery. (warning, language NSFW).
5 minutes later my rescuer got himself stuck in the same pond.
Tink Fails Fortunately, someone did remember their waders and pulled my line out to him. He was so far out and so stuck it took me 30 minutes to pull him out (5 min winching, 15 waiting for the battery to recharge).
BTW, this was a weekend campout/wheeling event for one of our Jeep buddies who just got back from a tour in Afghanistan (active duty Marine). He's the guy who pulled me out and then I pulled out.