It greatly helps from the point when you really ride. But to get there you must learn all other parts of it - and that is 99,99999999 % of your time in ocean.
All other stuff you dont know is: choosing right place and wave for you, entering swell, reading ocean, avoiding or using rip currents, etc. Paddling, duckdiving, catching waves and getting off in right time. How to behave during wipeouts etc. etc.
Now as wakesurfer you know something about your balance, sweet point, accelerating and decelarating etc. and that is great.
On the other hand, without wakesurfing, when you imagine that you got only fractions of second for improving you riding skill in ocean I think ist more painful to get somewhere
You can clearly see that everybody who just catched wave doesnt want to loose it so he is not trying any new tricks and if, he will do it just at the very end of his ride.