Brian Grice, of Euclid, wanted out — quickly.

Shouts of pain involuntarily spewed out of his mouth.

As soon as Grice hit the frigid water of the pool he was grabbing for the metal-rung ladder, bringing laughter from the crowd.

Grice, wet and shivering as he huddled in a large blue blanket, said he participated in Saturday's Sandusky Polar Plunge for his cousin, who has Down syndrome.

Grice admits the first thing he thought about when he hit the water was getting to the ladder. After all, the water was about 32 degrees.

"Oh, my God, I was cold. It is instant numb," Grice said. "It is so worth it."

The cause 153 people were raising money for was Special Olympics Ohio.

And they raised a lot of it.

Last year 94 people raised about $17,000.

As of Saturday, groups raised $33,000, and it is still coming in, said Sandusky police Sgt. Tracey Susana, who helped organize the plunge.

In its seventh year the 2012 plunge was held in honor of fallen Sandusky police Officer Andrew Dunn, who was killed in the line of duty in March.

"He used to plunge with us; now he is here in spirit," said Susana.

Amid a group of standing-room-only supporters the day was bittersweet for the Dunn family.

"Even now it's hard," said Vicky Dunn, Andrew's stepmother.

This year's plunge started with people chanting "2083," Dunn's badge number, from the pool's deck.

It ended with a last group that included Matt Dunn, Andrew's father, and Vicky, who took two attempts to jump into the water.

In between it was a parade of people in swimsuits under T-shirts as well as people in full customs shouting and hollering on a day of fun, even if the temperatures were just above freezing.

One after another, people in costumes, including superheroes and cartoon characters, went under the ice-cold water. Most gasped as they came up, shocked by the cold water.

In full Flintstone costumes were Castalia's Ryan Patten as Fred, Noah Stanley as Barney, Kelsey Fresch as Wilma and Christine Fought as Betty.

With them was 9-year-old Ross Patten.

"I don't think it's going to be to cold," Patten said before his jump.

He soon changed his mind. His face registered the stinging sensation in his body as Ryan helped him scramble up the pool's ladder.

Perkins Police officer Vince Donald had some fun as he sent water cascading onto the watching crowd while jumping into the water two times, knees to his chest, with a big smile on his face.

Check back later for video from the cool fundraiser.