I'm not sure how ascending at min gas becomes a CESA.
True, but I'm not sure that chancing that you have enough gas to make the downline is worth it, but that is just me.
Getting pretty far afield from the OP, but that's a scubaboard tradition!
Since we aren't talking about cave diving, I guess you are postulating diving thirds, where one third is the minimum gas needed to return to the ascent line and make a safe ascent. So yes, obviously any alternative to drowning is a better choice.
I just didn't want you minimizing the risk of surfacing away from the dive boat by calling it a "swim of shame", which sort of implies that the big downside is the hit to the diver's ego.
Dive boat captains and wreck divers in our area all know how potentially dangerous it is to surface away from the wreck. Especially if there is fog, heavy seas or - most common and dangerous - current. I know that you know this, but for other new divers reading this thread, it's a big problem for a dive boat to run after a diver drifting away on the surface if they are tied in with divers on the line, especially if they are in deco.
So IF you were sure that you didn't have enough gas to make it back to the anchor line and do a safe ascent, or IF you are lost on the wreck with no idea where the anchor line is, PLEASE don't do a free ascent, especially if there is current.
This is a situation where the reel can be very helpful. Shooting an SMB, tying the line to the wreck and then ascending on that line is far preferable, since you won't drift off the wreck, and the crew will be able to see you. If you want to get fancy, and if you have enough line, you can shoot your bag, then loop your line around some fixed (hopefully fairly smooth) point on the wreck, and then run out your reel as you ascent. That way, you can cut or untie your bag on the surface and then take your line home with you, instead of leaving it on the wreck as an entanglement hazard for other divers.