NMAC BTWN A CRUISING C172 AT 2500 FT AND DSNDING C206 TOUR FLT AT OKALA INTXN; 23 NM ON THE ITO VOR 310 DEG RADIAL; ITO; HI.

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WHILE ON A VFR FLT PLAN FROM HNL TO ILIO PT TO OPANA TO HILO; AN NMAC INCIDENT OCCURRED. ACFT #1 WAS CRUISING EBOUND ACCORDING TO THE PACIFIC CHART SUPPLEMENT RECOMMENDED VFR CRUISING ALT OF 2500 FT NEAR LAUPAHOEHOE. ACFT #2 WAS DSNDING OUT OF 3000 FT AT LAUPAHOEHOE HEADING WBOUND. I (ACFT#1) WAS MONITORING BOTH COM #1 AND COM #2 FREQS. ON COM #1 WAS 127.05 (HILO CTAF); ON COM #2; 123.6 (HNL RADIO). WHILE RPTING MY POS TO HNL RADIO ON COM #2; I HEARD SOMEONE SAYING THEY WERE DSNDING OUT OF 3000 FT FOR ANOTHER ALT. I SET COM #2 TO 119.7 (HILO APCH FREQ) PREPARING TO CALL FOR APCH CLRNC. WHEN I LOOKED UP AFTER SETTING MY RADIO; I SAW ACFT #2 APPROX 500 FT DIRECTLY IN FRONT; AND HEADING STRAIGHT FOR ME AT THE SAME ALT. THE ACFT MADE NO MOVEMENT TO ALTER ITS COURSE. I KNEW THEN; THAT THIS PERSON DID NOT SEE ME AND I HAD TO GET OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY. I HAD MAYBE 2 SECONDS TO REACT. I SIMULTANEOUSLY PULLED UP AND TO THE R TO AVOID A HEAD ON COLLISION. AFTER BOTH ACFT PASSED EACH OTHER; I HEARD THE PLT SAY THAT SHE WAS TURNING AROUND TO GET THE TAIL NUMBER OF THE ACFT THAT JUST PASSED HER. SHE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING UNTIL 1 OF HER PAX TOLD HER; AND ONLY THEN DID SHE SEE A GLIMPSE OF THE LNDG GEAR OF ACFT #1 PASSING OVER HER. BEING AN AIR TOUR'S PLT; (ACFT #2) SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VIGILANT USING THE SEE AND AVOID PRACTICES FOR THE SAFETY OF HER PAX. IN ORDER TO PREVENT A REOCCURRENCE OF THIS INCIDENT AND REDUCE TFC CONFLICTS; I SUGGEST STAYING AT THE RECOMMENDED ALTS 1 MI ALONG THE COASTLINE; AND TO CLB OR DSND 3-4 MI OFF THE COASTLINE. THIS WAY; CLBING AND DSNDING TFC WILL NOT CONVERGE WITH ACFT CRUISING AT RECOMMENDED ALTS. THINK OF IT AS A FREEWAY ON-RAMP AND OFF-RAMP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 560482: NO POSITION RPTS WERE MADE BY PILOT IN C-172 AND HE MONITORED IMPROPER FREQUENCY. HE USED OLD CTAF 122.9 INSTEAD OF 127.05. I (FLYING A C206) SAW THE C-172 AND WAITED TO SEE IF ANY ACTION WAS GOING TO BE TAKEN. HE DID NOT RESPOND ON 127.05 OR 122.9. LATER; BOTH OF US WERE ABLE TO DEBRIEF AND AGREED TO SUBMIT REPORTS TO ASRS. CONCLUSION: I (C206 PLT) HAD MORE FLT TIME AND RATINGS OVER THE C-172 PILOT AND SHOULD BE MORE DILIGENT IN SEE AND AVOID PROCS. C172 PLT SHOULD DO A MORE THOROUGH PRE-FLT AND LEARN PROPER RADIO COMS SO OTHER ACFT ARE AWARE OF POSITION AND ALTITUDE. ALTHOUGH SEE AND AVOID IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BOTH PLTS UNDER VFR IN VMC; IT IS ALSO NECESSARY FOR ALL PLTS FLYING IN A GENERAL AREA TO BE SPEAKING ON THE SAME CTAF IN ORDER FOR EVERYONE TO LOOK FOR TFC AS RPTING POINTS ARE CALLED OUT. RECENTLY THE CTAF ON THE BIG ISLAND HAD BEEN CHANGED. ALTHOUGH THE C172 PLT HAD THE NEW CTAF WRITTEN DOWN ON HIS FLT PLAN; HE FAILED TO UNDERSTAND WHICH AREAS OF THE BIG ISLAND USED THE NEW FREQUENCY AND HE HAD SUBSEQUENTLY REVERTED BACK TO THE OLD CTAF. THE C172 PILOT ALSO ADMITSTED TO SEEING ME IN ADVANCE AND WAITED FOR ME TO TAKE SOME KIND OF ACTION. SUGGESTIONS: USE BETTER SEE AND AVOID TECHNIQUES. KNOW YOUR FREQUENCIES AND POSITION TO RPT. KNOW ALTS USED FOR E AND W AND USE EXTRA CAUTION WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH POTENTIALLY OCCUPIED ALTS OF OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC. BE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR FLYING ENVIRONMENT. CONTACT FBO'S IN NEW UNFAMILIAR AREAS AND GET ALL THE INFO YOU CAN PRIOR TO LAUNCHING. YOUR FLT STARTS ON THE GND WITH A THOROUGH PREFLT. CONTACT FSS AND FIND OUT HOW MANY STUDENTS AND PRIVATE PLTS ARE LAUNCHING CROSS COUNTRY FLTS IN YOUR AREA SO THAT YOU CAN BE ON THE LOOK OUT.