The great gray whale migration is back on the Oregon coast.

The massive migration of eastern North Pacific gray whales — the longest mammalian migration in the world — sees thousands of whales traveling roughly 12,000 miles from their Arctic feeding grounds to breeding grounds in Baja, Mexico. That migration will once again pass Oregon this month.

Oregon whale watchers will celebrate the peak of the migration from Dec. 27 to 31, when the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department hosts Winter Whale Watch Week at parks up and down the coastline.

Park rangers and volunteers will be stationed at 14 park sites, there to help visitors spot the big cetaceans as they swim past the shore. Park officials said they expect 13,000 whales to pass by Oregon on their way south this season.

The parks department also celebrates Spring Whale Watch Week when the gray whales make their migration north in March.

While there are many good places to go whale watching on the Oregon coast, the town of Depoe Bay, called the Whale Watching Capital of Oregon, is easily one of the best. The central coast town is home to the Whale Watching Center, which will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every day of Winter Whale Watch Week.

Depoe Bay is a popular stop for some of the Pacific gray whales, which sometimes break off their migration to spend the summer months feeding in the kelp beds just offshore. Several whale watching tours are available in town to see the animals up close.

Those staying on shore can more easily spot the animals with binoculars. Scan the ocean slowly and look for the whale’s spout, which will appear as a vertical spray of mist. You can also look for a tail, called a fluke, which sometimes emerges from the water as the whale dives. If you’re lucky, you might see the whale breach, or jump out of the water, though gray whales do so less frequently than some other species, like humpbacks.

Utah basketball is getting some immediate help, thanks to its coaching ties.

Lucas Langarita, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Spain, is joining the Runnin’ Utes in the second semester of the season, according to Eurohopes, and will be immediately eligible to play.

Langarita previously played for Utah assistant coach Martin Schiller for Casademont Zaragoza in the top Spanish professional league, Liga ACB, during the 2022-23 season.

The 20-year-old averaged 17.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in U20 Eurobasket competition last summer in Greece.

That included shooting 41.5% from the floor and 32.7% from 3-point range.

Langarita’s addition will add some much-needed depth on Alex Jensen’s first roster at Utah, as well as provide another wing player who could factor into future plans beyond the 2025-26 season.

While the Utes are led on the offense end by starting guards Terrence Brown and Don McHenry this season, there is a need for additional help beyond that.

Jacob Patrick, who hails from Germany, has been a solid addition for Utah, though he’s missed the past two games due to injury. Obomate Abbey, a Finland native, is a freshman and is another depth piece for the Utes who averages 17.4 minutes per game.

Utah recently had guard Elijah “Choppa” Moore, a Syracuse transfer, exit the program, and Langarita’s addition should help as the team enters Big 12 play following the New Year, if he can up to speed.