(GOLDEN, CO) March 25, 2006...Nothing screams "take me with you" quite like the line of PENTAX Optio waterproof digital cameras. So, that is exactly what world-class surf champion Kelly Slater and his friends did when they convened recently for the second annual Kelly Slater Invitational (KSI) surfing event on the beautiful coast of Kona, Hawaii in February 2006.

Every year, KSI brings together pro surfers, Hollywood celebrities and musical guests for a weekend of surf, sand and sun. Equipped with PENTAX waterproof Optio W10 digital cameras, the official camera of the event, professional photographers and celebrities alike snapped images of the activities. With the capability to capture images up to five feet underwater for up to 30 minutes, the Optio W10 is the perfect camera for use in and around water.

All of the fun and excitement of the KSI event is captured in a Web site sponsored by PENTAX that launched today at http://www.kellyslaterinvitational.com as well as in the MTV show Kelly Slater Celebrity Surf Invitational that is scheduled to run up to 12 times also beginning today*. Visitors to the Web site may enjoy a KSI Image Gallery and enter for a chance to win a Quiksilver gear package or a PENTAX Optio W10 waterproof camera in a fresh, new color.

*Check local listings.

The event and the Web site also will help raise awareness for the volunteer, ocean conservation organization Reef Check http://www.reefcheck.org . Founded in 1996, Reef Check is designed to save coral reefs globally and temperate reefs in California. Reef Check is active in over 82 countries and territories throughout the world.

"We were very excited to be a part of KSI, which is all about having fun around water," said Ned Bunnell, director of marketing, PENTAX Imaging Company. "Plus, the Web site PENTAX has sponsored will give Kelly's friends and fans the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what happened at this year's invitational."

PENTAX Imaging Company is an innovative leader in the production of digital cameras, lenses, binoculars, eyepieces, mobile printers, scanners and Internet cameras. For more than 80 years, PENTAX technology has developed durable, reliable products that meet the needs of consumers and businesses. With headquarters in Golden, Colorado, PENTAX Imaging Company is a division of PENTAX of America, Inc.

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