Some would say that since the chance of you actually finding a block is so small, it doesn't actually contribute. I say that's nonsense.

First, you ARE contributing some hash-rate. Second, you are not alone. The total amount of hobbyists mining with Bitaxes adds to the decentralization of hash-rate, for sure. Third, if you mine with OCEAN and you have your own node, you can create your own block templates, which is more than can be said on any other pool at this time. This means the actual transactions that make it into any block you may find are not determined by a small group of entities (pools) but by each individual miner, yet without sacrificing the benefit of more regular payouts.