This humpback whale was so determined to get his lunch that he wasn't going to let a bunch of photographers get in the way.

It meant Mike Busch was able to get a series of stunning images of the beast emerging from the water off the Rockaways, New York as he feasted on fish just feet away.

Humpback whales are not uncommon off the coast of New York - especially as the city's waterways get cleaner - but achieving such clear close-ups is far more rare.

The images, which Busch shared on his Facebook page, were snapped as he took a trip on a friend's boat on September 4.

Stunning: A humpback whale emerges from the water off Rockaway, New York earlier this month

Lunch: The whale appears on the surface to scoop up fish - and takes no notice of the photographer

Majestic: Humpbacks are becoming increasingly common around New York because of its cleaner waters

They watched in awe as the whale repeatedly breached and sent fish flapping towards the surface - with the New York City skyline visible through fog behind.

Speaking to Sigma Photo's blog, Busch, who used a Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3, said he had previously not had trouble snapping shots from a moving boat.

'The harder part was getting the whales to cooperate by doing anything other than slowly swimming and surfacing briefly,' he said, explaining that 'this all changed' during the most recent trip.

The whale 'was not concerned with our presence and shocked us by swimming right at us and diving at the last second,' he said. 'He was too close to even photograph at that point. We also had some close calls with the water vapor from his blow hole.'

Close-up: Fish, seen center, desperately try to escape the beast's jaws as he tries to grab some lunch

In a flap: The hungry whale makes a grab for fish seen flapping on the water's surface

He added that they were left surrounded by a terrible stink when he did force out the water.

Busch admitted that it is not uncommon to see the whales, and pointed out there's a whale-watching boat that leaves from Breezy Point in search of the mammals every day of the summer.

'I would highly recommend it!' he added.

The Wildlife Conservation Society explained that the water off New York 'serve as a feeding ground, nursery, and migratory corridor for many species of marine life including whales, dolphins, sharks, fish, and sea birds'.

Making a stink: Busch said the smell when the whale sprayed from his blow hole was extremely pungent

Taking a break: The friendly whale put on his dazzling display as the New York City skyline loomed in the background. The Empire State Building can be seen in the distance, left

The number of sightings of humpback whales around New York have been on the rise, thanks to increased efforts to clean up the city's rivers.

Last month, Gotham Whale said there had already been 49 sightings this year, while by comparison, there were only five sightings in 2011, 25 in 2012 and 43 last year.

Humpback whales can weigh between 25 and 40 tons, stretch as long as 60 feet and live up to 50 years, according to the NOAA.