BEECH BE8T ACFT ON GOV AGRICULTURAL FLT; VFR FLT PLAN; WAS PROVIDED TFC BY CTLR WHO ALSO ASSIGNED 2500 FT AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM B737 ON APCH TO SNA. PF; FO; WAS WATCHING B737 ON APCH AND INADVERTENTLY CLBED; POSSIBLY RESULTING IN TCASII RA ON THE B737.

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I AND MY COPLT (WHO WAS FLYING) WERE CONDUCTING AN OP REQUIRING E/W PASSES ACROSS AN ILS COURSE. A B737 WAS ON A R 3000 FT MSL BASE TURNING FINAL (FINAL COURSE 190 DEGS) AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS WHILE WE WERE EBOUND. ANOTHER AIRLINER WAS BEHIND US ON R DOWNWIND. THE CTLR RESTR US TO 2500 FT; WHICH REQUIRED US TO DROP DOWN 100 FT FROM OUR CRUISE OF 2600 FT MSL. WE CALLED TFC IN SIGHT AND HE TOLD US TO 'MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION' WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGED. WE DECIDED TO DO A R 360 DEG CIRCLE TO PASS BEHIND THE B737. ON ROLLOUT FROM THE TURN; WE WERE STILL A LITTLE TOO CLOSE. UP AHEAD OF US THE GND SLOPED UP INTO A 3100 FT RIDGE AND A CLOUD LAYER SLOPED UP HIGHER. WE FELT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM BTWN THE 3000 FT B737 AND THE CLOUD TOPS ESTIMATED AHEAD AT +/-2800-3000 FT MSL. THE COPLT STEERED A COURSE NE TO PASS BEHIND THE B737. SO FAR EVERYTHING WAS OK. HOWEVER; THE COPLT WAS CLBING TOO. I CAUGHT IT AT 2800 FT MSL AND PUSHED IT OVER. I ANNOUNCED TO APCH THAT WE WERE CLBING UP TO 3500 FT AND HAD TO DEVIATE DUE TO CLOUDS. HE CHEWED ME OUT A BIT BUT I RESPONDED THAT WE ADVISED HIM AS SOON AS WE COULD. I WAS NOT AT ALL WORRIED ABOUT A COLLISION; RATHER I DIDN'T WANT TO SET OFF HIS TCASII RA; BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TELL WE WERE GOING TO PASS BEHIND BECAUSE WE TURNED TOWARD THE B737 IN ORDER TO PASS BEHIND. ABOUT THEN THE B737 PLT SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'HE PASSED REAL CLOSE AT ABOUT 3000 FT!' HE THEN CALLED APCH FROM THE GND; VERY UPSET. I CAN UNDERSTAND HIS ANXIETY IF IT LOOKED LIKE WE WEREN'T STILL MAINTAINING VISUAL SEPARATION. I LEARNED THE COPLT WASN'T TRYING TO CLB; BUT AT HIS LOW EXPERIENCE LEVEL HE LOOKED UP AT THE OTHER PLANE SO HE CLBED UP. PLUS HE WAS TENSE; AND HAD JUST ROLLED OUT OF A STEEP TURN. IT WAS ABOVE HIS SKILL LEVEL OR WORKLOAD FOR PRECISION FLYING. HE IS A LOW TIME PLT (LESS THAN 700 HRS) AND LESS THAN 6 WKS IN THIS OP. I DO OPERATE MORE CONSERVATIVELY WITH A LESS EXPERIENCED COPLT THAN WITH A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED ONE. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD NOT BE A PROB. THE JETLINER BEHIND US KIND OF BOXED US IN ALONG WITH THE UNIQUE CLOUDS SLOPING UP AHEAD OF US. I HAD WANTED TO CLB UP TO 3500 FT BEFORE ALL THIS STARTED BUT WITH THE CONGESTED FREQ; I COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE. NEXT TIME I'LL GIVE EVEN MORE SPACE AROUND MANEUVERING AIRLINERS; AND WATCH THE NEW COPLTS LIKE A HAWK ON A GOPHER.