A search was underway for eight university students and their instructor who were overdue from a Lake Superior kayak expedition.

A military search plane was dispatched to search for the group by air Thursday morning.

The Hercules search plane deployed from CFB Winnipeg scoured the shore along the northern edge of Superior in the hopes that the group has beached to "dodge weather," said CFB Trenton Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre spokesman Capt. Mike Robert.

"The weather wasn't great over the last few days, but it's better now," said Robert.

The JRCC was contacted by the dean of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, late Wednesday evening after the group failed to return on schedule.

The group, along with another 15 kayakers from the university left on Aug. 26.

The students and their instructor were located safe and sound shortly after search efforts were underway. The group made radio contact with the military search plane flying overhead.

The deployed Hercules search plane located the eight Lakehead University students and lone instructor around 7:30 a.m. after the group relayed their co-ordinates using a hand-held VHF radio to the search crew.

Erin Vincent, maritime co-ordinator with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at CFB Trenton said "The group put to shore along the northern edge of the Nipigon Strait to avoid bad weather and they're all doing fine,"

The kayakers were in three separate groups, and one has returned and the other is accounted for. Vincent said the missing group is expected to reach their scheduled landing point by Thursday evening.