While scores of Americans prepared wings and dips for Super Bowl Sunday, thousands of Long Islanders stripped down to take a dip in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Long Beach.

At the 25th annual Long Beach Polar Bear Splash on Sunday, organizers announced they had raised more than $479,000 for Make-A-Wish as of 3:30 p.m. The yearly tradition has brought in a total of $10 million since its inception in 2001.

“I can’t feel my toes,” said Caroline Schreiner, 50, of Long Beach, dressed in a pig costume.

Crowds of people pushed their way onto the snowy beach. Many were laughing, but some looked mortified. “Smile! It’s not that bad,” an organizer shouted.

“It’ll numb my mind,” another woman mumbled into her phone while scurrying up the boardwalk.

Once the clock struck 1:30 p.m., it was go time. Suddenly, even the most muscular swimmers released high-pitched screeches.

One plunger made the questionable decision to storm into the ocean while wearing his socks, limping out of the water several seconds later followed by a trail of soaked cotton.

By 1:37 p.m., something profound happened. There was no mad rush off the beach, no flooding of the parking lot with shivering drivers honking their way out of tight spots to reach a hot shower. The plungers took their time, slowly getting dressed, neatly packing robes and hats into gym bags, posing gleefully for photos.

Two young kids, confused what season it was, started building sand castles using their mittens. Another group sat relaxing on a beach blanket, chuckling and sipping hot drinks.

Somewhere in the crowd was Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Asked whether he would ditch the blazer and dive in, Blakeman humbly declined. “I did it once 5 years ago and that was enough.”

After the event, Sam Francis and Steven Manning stood on the corner of Laurelton Blvd. and W. Park Ave. wearing just towels from the waist down, exchanging looks of confusion and despair.

The duo, who said a client of their law firm was a Make-A-Wish sponsor, flew in from the Cayman Islands just for a few minutes of thrill. But Francis was quickly hit by “feelings of regret,” he said.

The two were waiting for a car back to their hotel, where they would take a dip in the heated pool before flying 1,500 miles back home on Monday.

Make-A-Wish creates memories for children like Connor Troy and their families. Troy, a 12-year-old Long Beach boy who died of a neuromuscular disorder in 2013, wanted to meet Kermit the Frog. Shortly after his family’s home was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, the Troys set off to Disney World.

“The wish trip is the best last memory we have of Connor,” said Kerry Ann Troy, his mother. “Just for one week, it was like there was nothing really wrong.”

This year, Troy said “Team Connor” raised more than $26,000 for Make-A-Wish.

“If you have somebody that's sick or somebody's in trouble, this community comes out stronger than ever."