PLT AND SAFETY PLT ABOARD C172 ON RECREATIONAL COMPETITION FLT ENCOUNTER NEAR MISS NEAR CRQ CLASS D AIRSPACE.

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OUR PLANE; A CLUB RENTED C172 DEPARTED OCEANSIDE ARPT (OKB) ENRTE TO RAMONA (RNM); ON THE SECOND LEG OF A RECREATIONAL EFFICIENCY COMPETITION FLT. THERE WERE 2 PLTS ABOARD THE PLANE; I WAS IN THE R SEAT. I HAD NOT FLOWN BEFORE WITH THE PIC. THE PIC; DUE TO NOISE ABATEMENT ISSUES AT OKB; DEPARTED OKB; FLEW OUT TO THE OCEAN; THEN TURNED ON COURSE (ABOUT 100 DEGS) TO GO TO RAMONA. SHORTLY AFTER TURNING ON COURSE; I NOTICED PALOMAR (CRQ) OUTSIDE TO MY R AND NOTICED THAT OUR ALT WAS AROUND 2200 FT. I WASN'T SURE WHAT THE CEILING OF PALOMAR AIRSPACE WAS (BUT I WAS PRETTY SURE IT WAS MORE THAN 2200 FT); SO I CONSULTED THE CHART; AND FOUND IT WAS 2800 FT. I SUGGESTED THAT WE MAKE A SMALL TURN TO THE N UNTIL WE GAINED SOME MORE ALT SO THAT WE WOULD NOT BUST THE PALOMAR AIRSPACE. THE PIC AGREED AND MADE ABOUT A 20 DEG L TURN. DURING THIS TIME I WAS ALSO BUSY LOOKING UP THE FREQS FOR RAMONA AND ENTERING THEM INTO THE RADIOS. WE MAY HAVE HAD THE OCEANSIDE CTAF OR THE RAMONA TWR ACTIVE AT THIS POINT -- I'M NOT SURE. AFTER CLRING 2800 FT THE PIC MADE A SHALLOW R TURN TO GO BACK ON COURSE -- PERHAPS A 20 DEG TURN. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE PLT SAID 'AIRPLANE.' I'M NOT SURE IF SHE POINTED; BUT I IMMEDIATELY SAW A PLANE AT 2-3 O'CLOCK POS; CLOSE (PERHAPS 1500 FT AWAY) AND WITHIN A FEW FT OF OUR ALT. THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS TRAVELING ROUGHLY DUE N WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING ON A COURSE OF ABOUT 100 DEGS. AS I WATCHED THE OTHER PLANE'S RELATIVE POS MOVED RAPIDLY FROM 2:30 TO 3; TO 4 O'CLOCK POS; WITH THE NEAREST APCH BEING AT ABOUT OUR 4:30 O'CLOCK POS. AS I SAW IT DISAPPEAR BEHIND ME I THINK THE OTHER PLANE'S PLT BEGAN A TURN TO THE W. WE DID NOT TAKE ANY EVASIVE ACTION (ALTHOUGH I'M NOT SURE WE COULD HAVE DONE MUCH -- WE WERE ALREADY ON A PATH TO PASS AHEAD OF THE OTHER PLANE...MAYBE A SHARP CLB?). I BELIEVE THAT ABOUT 2 SECONDS ELAPSED BTWN MY SEEING THE OTHER PLANE AND IT PASSING OUR TAIL. FACTORS: 1) MY PLT WAS TRAINED BY A CLUB INSTRUCTOR WHO I HAVE ALSO HAD ONE EXPERIENCE WITH. THE INSTRUCTOR RECOMMENDS AGAINST USING STROBES DURING THE DAYTIME -- 'TO SAVE THE EQUIP' AND THAT 'YOU CAN'T SEE THEM ANYHOW.' OUR STROBES WERE NOT ON; CONTRARY TO MY NORMAL PRACTICE. 2) I WAS HEADS DOWN CHKING CHARTS AND FREQS. 3) WE WERE NOT ON FLT FOLLOWING; BUT FRANKLY; GIVEN THE LEVEL OF TFC IN THE AREA IF WE WERE TRYING TO USE IT I MAY HAVE STILL BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT WITH THEM AT THIS POINT. 4) THE OTHER AIRPLANE MAY HAVE BEEN HIDDEN FROM THE PLT BY THE GLARE SHIELD; COWL; OR R PILLAR. 5) I DON'T KNOW IF THE PLT DID A GOOD LOOK TO THE R PRIOR TO DIPPING THE R WING TO MAKE THE 20 DEG R TURN. 6) I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE NBOUND PLT DID NOT SEE AND AVOID US. LIGHTING SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT (SUN TO HIS BACK); AND WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF SKY AND OCEAN. PERHAPS WE WERE BEHIND HIS L PILLAR.