No recovery gear yet. Working on that.
I won't be trying to off-road until I get a few basic things (tires, rec gear, etc),
Your post made me think of something, yet another winning feature of waffle boards which I'll describe after a mini-rant.
A lot of people new to this will only suggest Maxtrax or similar but in my opinion they are one of the most hyped but not all that hot items I've seen come along in 20 years. There is literally nothing they do better than a traditional bridging ladder or waffle board but there are many things they suck at or just simply cannot do at all.
I suppose they are very good at being cheap and light weight. Rant over for now.
Waffle boards and other traditional bridging or sand ladders (heavy duty vs light weight) will all sink into water which is a good thing in your scenario posed about "deep water". Plastic things are going to be trying to float up, which I cannot even imagine my frustration if I were using one out on my own without someone to make sure it stays in place.
So, get yourself a pair of waffle boards from "okoffroad" in the 2" section HD model or spend $$$ on "Mantec bridging ladders". Do not be confused by the very cool, but more flexible "sand ladders". The sand version is not going to do a true bridge while the heavier ones will, and they are simply amazing.
I got the fiberglass waffle boards because they would provide 95% of the HD Mantec at 1/4 the cost so I figured cheap enough even just to test them. That was 12 years ago and I've used them many times and also realized multiple functions/uses for them such that something like a Maxtrax is not even in the same discussion.
Main features are they have a grippy side for the tires, can ramp up any ledge without flexing too much. They can sink into snow or mud but you can put something under them if that is not desired so you have the flexibility to choose when it's useful or not.
Uses aside from primary function and bonus features:
1-My waffles stay mounted on the lr3 factory rail/tracks so they are easy to access yet do not interfere with the full length rack that mounts above them.
2-The Hannibal rack is only on the in summer so rest of the time the waffles 12x48" also serve as a standing platform for taking photos from a very nice elevated position.
3-they can be stacked to create 4" platform for vehicle leveling at camp sites
4-a shower pad to stand on and water obviously passes through the created "floor" under your feet.
5-a table or extension to tailgate if you have something to set ends or other end on.
6-ramp into vehicle if you have a dog with trouble jumping or climbing.
The list could go on actually depending on your travel style and needs.
The deep water scenario though is perfect because you'd simply set these where needed and drive on out. If you had 4, you could do the method of leading axle onto one set, then set 2nd set in front of there and keep swapping until driven out of an extreme situation.
Do not go into potential bad conditions without a simple shovel though. Don't forget such 'basics' !