So… this is actuality the only part of this video I didn’t laugh at…

In sand and snow, keeping the wheels stationary only serves to dig the hole you’re in deeper and deeper. Turning the wheels back and forth serves to widen and possibly lower the angle of the slope of the hole you find your tires digging, this making it easier to dislodge the vehicle. I’m my experience, its hit or ms whether it helps, but it’s far from the worst thing to try.

That layer that runs through the middle, does it flake apart easily or is it pretty solid?

I’ve got a couple pieces that remind me of this, I’ll dig them out and see if my memory serves me right.

The only vehicle I would even chance driving after being fully submerged would be a 90s Hylux. Beyond that, nah, water damage is usually a death sentence for anything without protected electronics like an actual boat.